Let me tell you: there is a misconception about the cost of living in Morocco.

I know that I am not the only one who thinks so, and Amanda from MarocMama explained it well in her post (read here).

Food is not the most expensive thing here. Eating out is affordable and you can do it on a daily basis. You can eat a good tajine for as little as 20 MAD (2 EUR) and have a stuffing breakfast for 5 MAD (0.5 EUR)

Medical care

I once had to do the blood check. The price put me down on my knees: 370 MAD (37 EUR) for barely 2 examinations whilst in Poland I had the same ones + a couple more for 93 PLN (around 23 EUR).

Head CT. In Poland I paid 300 PLN (75 EUR), in a clinic in Casablanca the same thing costs 3000 MAD (300 EUR)

Food poisoning treatment in a private clinic costed me (or rather my insurer) 1800 MAD (180 EUR). That is the price for intravenous drip and 2 hours in the clinic.

30 pcs of Vitamin B here is around 50 MAD (5 EUR) whilst in Poland 60 pcs cost 3 PLN (0.75 EUR)

Tip: if you are a tourist, I recommend you to buy good travel insurance in your country.

Private Language Classes

Well in this case I can’t complain! Being a language tutor in Morocco pays off. Even though the word “bargain” is deeply rooted in Moroccans’ blood, there are a lot of people who are willing to pay for one-to-one classes.

A little comparison. In Poland I would be paid 30 PLN for a class which is around 8 EUR. In Morocco 200 MAD is a normal price, and it is around 20 EUR. Private Business English classes in established schools are way more expensive!

Renting (in Casablanca)

The cost of rent is basically the same as in Warsaw, Poland. Or even more expensive I could say!

A modern, furnished studio in Maarif (safe, close to centre) is around 4000-5000 MAD (400-500 EUR)

Tip: Read my article about finding a place for rent.

Imported goods

1l of soy milk costs around 39-60 MAD (4-6 EUR)

President cheese is around 40-70 MAD (4-7 EUR)

There is also quite a big marge on the European cosmetics and electronics. Basically, anything that is manufactued in Europe and imported to Morocco is way more expensive here.

Partying

The entrance to most of night clubs is few EUR per person, ladies often enter for free. Alcohol is produced in Morocco but it is still not the cheapest drink.

Clubbing falls into the category of luxury goods in Morocco so I guess it will remain expensive for a long time.

Transport

Public transport in Morocco is not very developed and taxi is quite popular means of transport. Unlike Europe, it is not the emergency option. People say that taking a taxi in Casablanca is cheap. Yes, if they earn in GBP and spend in MAD. Casablanca is huge and if you want to get from Maarif to Sidi Bernoussi with a red taxi it’ll cost you around 60 MAD (6 EUR)

Imagine earning 4000 MAD and spending 800 MAD monthly for transport (only home-work-home, I am not counting additional routes).

Local buses are cheap for tourists, but if you live in Morocco you will soon notice that they are quite expensive.