Morocco has always been a major tourist attraction for decades. The country attracts millions of visitors from all over the globe every year.
Recently and thanks to the growth that Morocco is witnessing, an unprecedented number of people come to Morocco not only for the purpose of tourism but also for settling down in this beautiful country.
Morocco now is on the verge of a new era, many projects are underway in many major industries like renewable energy, agriculture, and tourism. This indicates that this wonderful country has a promising future full of opportunities and challenges.
This made many people of various nationalities come to Morocco to try new life experiences and different lifestyles. Some of them come with the intention to open businesses and others come to search for promising job opportunities.
Many of these people don't know much about the aspects of living in Morocco, and most of the information on the internet is provided to help visitors enjoy their holidays in the country.
There is not enough information to help people have a better understanding of Moroccan culture nor to know more about how it is like to live in Morocco.
In this post, I tried to accumulate all the information needed to cover most of the matters that would help people that are willing to come live in Morocco have a clearer idea about the country and life in it.
Pros & Cons Of Living In Morocco
Pros Of Living In Morocco
•Affordable: When compared to neighboring countries like Spain and France, the cost of living in Morocco is really affordable. It has increased in recent years but it is overall cheaper than most countries in Europe.
•Safety: According to this "article" by Euronews, Morocco is one of the safest places to go on holiday in the world.
• Weather: The weather is one of the major reasons people visit Morocco. Overall the weather here is mostly sunny and warm. Winters are not as cold and rainy as in many places in Europe, and summers are not too hot to be out in the sun.
•Proximity to Europe: Spain is just 15 km away from Tangier, and Paris is only 3 hours away from Marrakesh's airport. Morocco happens to be in a place that makes it technically a part of both continents Africa and Europe.
There are several cities in Morocco that are connected with daily flights to European cities like Paris, London, Madrid, and Amsterdam.
With this flight activity many people in Morocco spend their weekends somewhere in Europe and they get back to work on mondays.
•Geographical diversity: Morocco is a country with great diversity of physical features like evergreen forests, dry deserts, fertile plains, snowy Atlas mountains, and two coasts "Atlantic & Mediterranean".
Cons Of Living In Morocco
•Low employment: Most people that move to live in Morocco are either:
European retirees that come with their money and rent or buy a property to enjoy warm weather in Morocco.
Or people that bring their money to open businesses like hostels, riads, or restaurants somewhere in Morocco.
The economy in Morocco is growing and there are currently more opportunities than ever before, but not yet to the extent to encourage people from abroad come to search for better career opportunities in Morocco.
Salaries in Morocco
I didn't find actual or accurate information online about salaries in morocco. All the articles I read on different websites provided approximative or sometimes misleading information about how much some jobs pay. That's why I decided to include in this post what I know about this topic.
I listed below the salary ranges in some sectors to give you a general idea about how much some jobs pay in Morocco:
Banks: In the banking sector the salaries range from 4000dh to 40000dh sometimes less sometimes more, it depends on the banking company.
Hotels: salaries range from 2500dh to 60000dh depends on the place and how big or how small the hotel brand is.
Teaching: In the public sector the minimum salary is 5000dh, and in the private sector the salaries depend on the degree and experience of the teacher and also the school.
Waiters and bartenders: The salary range is 2500dh-4500dh sometimes less sometimes more it depends on the place and the experience of the employee.
Read more: Tipping In Morocco All You Need To Know
Drivers: The salary range is 4000dh-12000dh, it depends on the vehicle and the distance.
Fitness coaches: 5000dh to 15000dh depending on the gym and the city.
Call centers: The salaries range from 2600dh to 45000dh plus commissions. It depends on the job and the company.
PS: The legal minimum salary in Morocco according to "The National Social Security Fund CNSS" is 2698dh (around 280$)
Cost of living in Morocco
If compared to Europe the cost of living in Morocco is significantly cheap, but the salaries that people get in Morocco make coping up with the daily living expenses sometimes challenging.
•Appartement rental: In major cities like Casablanca, Marrakech, and Rabat. The rent is quite expensive. The average rent of a 70m2 apartment in a normal neighborhood in one of these cities is 4000dh (400$)
•Transportation: Public buses and grand taxis are quite cheap you can get around any city in Morocco with only a few dirhams. (5dh-15dh)
Small taxis are relatively expensive. If you had to use them on a daily basis you will spend a fortune.
•Food: Meal prices in Morocco are reasonable. Delis and fast food restaurants are everywhere in every city in Morocco. They offer nice meals at affordable prices. You can get yourself stuffed with only 40dh-50dh (4$-5$) while you can have a nice meal with drinks for two people in a fancy restaurant with 200dh (20$).
•Drinks: you can drink a cup of black coffee in a nice cafe in a nice neighborhood with 10dh-20dh (1$-2$). While you can have a fruit juice with around 20dh-30dh (2$-3$). Beers range from 20dh to 70dh it depends on the brand and the place.
•Daily groceries:
1 liter of milk: 7dh (0.7$)
10 eggs: 10dh (1$)
1 piece of bread: 1dh (0.1$)
A packet of cheese: 12dh (1.2$)
1 liter of mineral water: 5dh (0.5$)
1 kilogram of lamb raw: 80dh (8$)
1 liter of olive oil: 40dh (4$)
1 liter of cooking oil: 15dh (1.5)
1 kilogram of bananas: 8dh (0.8$)
1 kilogram of tomatoes 2dh-5dh (0.2$-0.5$)
1 liter of gas: 12dh (1.2$)
•Cars: Cars are expensive in Morocco: 50000dh (5000$) can only buy you a used modest car like: "Dacia" or "Kia".
•Motorbikes: 7000dh (700$) can get you a moped
•Gym memberships:
Fancy gyms: 400dh-500dh (40$-50$) per month
Nice gyms: 250dh-350dh (25$-35$) per month
Normal gyms: 150dh-200dh (15$-20$) per month
The best cities to live in Morocco for expats
Taking into consideration livings standards, opportunities, and social aspects I listed below some of the best cities to live in Morocco for expats.
Casablanca
Casablanca is indisputably the biggest city in Morocco with a population of 4 million people. The city is noisy, vibrant, and full of opportunities and challenges. If you're willing to open a business or find a job in the commerce, industrial, and real estate sectors, Casablanca might be your best option.
Rabat
Rabat is the capital of Morocco, it is located 90 km north Casablanca. Offering a peaceful environment and promising opportunities, the city has always been home to large numbers of expats of different nationalities.
Marrakesh
Marrakesh is one of the most recommended places to visit in the whole world. The rich historical heritage that the city has makes it a tourism hotspot.
The large numbers of tourists Marrakesh receives every year create thousands of job opportunities for locals and foreigners.
The promising business environment of this magical city helps open hundreds of new businesses every year. Even Cristiano Ronaldo's international hotel chain "Pestana cr7" will open their hotel in Marrakesh in 2020.
Marrakesh has the most active airport in Morocco, it's connected to multiple destinations all around the world.
•The Ultimate Travel Guide To Marrakesh
Tangiers
Tangiers is on the top north of Morocco only 15 km south from Spain. If you want to move to Morocco and remain close to Europe Tangier might be your best option. This city has an obvious Spanish influence that there are even some locals who speak Spanish better than Moroccan Arabic.
Morocco has signed important deals with some of the leading companies in the automotive industry like Renault-Nissan Alliance and PSA Group. Most of these deals are based in Tangier and will make the city an international hub for this sector.
Tangiers has already witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years, this city gives every sign that its future will be brighter.
Agadir
Agadir is 3 hours south Marrakesh, this city has some of the best beaches in Morocco and perfect weather.
About 600k people live in this beautiful coastal city. It is calm, safe and very touristy, According to "The Regional Tourism Center" Agadir received more than 1 million visitors in 2018.
The main drivers of Agadir's economy are tourism, fishing, and agriculture industries, in recent years the economy of this city has had many ups and downs, however, it's growing at a slow pace.
•A Guide To Living In Agadir
•The Ultimate Travel Guide To Agadir
