Our Morocco budget guide: Costs, tips, transport options from first-hand experience

Planning a trip to Morocco and wondering how much it’ll set you back? We’ve just wrapped up an incredible road trip across this stunning country for 40 days. Here we’re to share exactly what it cost us to travel through Morocco on a low-mid range budget.

This guide is built strictly on our experiences, with hard numbers from our expense logs and travel notes. We keep detailed spreadsheet with each item, meal and trip. Being in the country for 40 days means, this spreadsheet is very long, but unique.

Anyway, with this guide, you’ll know how much it costs to travel in Morocco, with some tips coming from our experience, like avoiding fines.

Morocco Travel Costs: The Overview

Morocco can be surprisingly affordable, if you know where to spend, book in advance, and save on ridiculously expensive accommodations if you’re flexible, even better.

Embracing local experiences saved us some bucks, which in the long run made our trip to Morocco pretty affordable.

We travelled as a couple, split between budget accommodations, street food, taxis, buses, and a rental car, and averaged about 640 MAD (£55 | $74 | €63)  per day for both of us. This included everything—lodging, food, transport, and activities. See the table below!

Category	Daily Cost (MAD)	Approx. Cost (£)
Accommodation	250/350	£20/25
Food & Drinks	150/200	£12/20
Transport	100/150	£8/12
Activities & Entry	50/100	£5/8
Miscellaneous	20/50	£2/5
Total Per Day	570/850 MAD	£47/64

How did we save so much money?

After 3 years on the road, and two of them spent in Southeast Asia, we learned that every cent counts. We tend to travel for a long term, and so in an extensive trip you can take things slowly.

If you stay longer in Morocco, the lodging price is lower for bookings of more than 3 days. This way, we stayed 8 days in Tamraght, five days in Fez, and overall more than 6 in Marrakech. Also, we scan many platforms for the most suitable accommodation deals.

In terms of food, of course, staying in local places teaches you how to avoid flashy restaurants in popular areas. We love authentic experiences, so we often go where locals go.

For activities, we do exactly the same. Instead of going on tours, sometimes we do DIY. Like for the tanneries in Fes, or around Marrakech, Derb Debachi Street Food alley.

Suggested Daily Budgets For Travelling In Morocco

Morocco is a budget friendly destination, but you need to be mindful about your finances. It’s easy to splurge where you shouldn’t; don’t book a bus in advance and take the expensive alternative (we did that).

We have created an easy to read guide for budget backpackers in Morocco, and more mid-budget wanderers like us.

Backpacker on a budget: 425 MAD (£35 | $47 | €40)

If you are travelling on a shoestring budget in Morocco, it might not be easy. Compared to Asia, we found at least 30% extra on the same lifestyle.

The 425 MAD seems the bare minimum, even if you are staying in hostel dorms, eating street food, and going on DIY activities. If you drink beer or alcohol, you’ll likely go over budget in one day. As a muslim country, beers aren’t cheap (the cheapest one was £6).

Mid-Budget Traveller: 670 (£55 | $74 | €63)

This is our range (A Morocco budget for a couple), and what we managed to spend in Morocco for 40 days. Our budget also covers renting a car, travelling long distances like Marrakech to Essaouira, and is intended for two.

It was hard at first to find hotels that didn’t slash half our allocation. The accommodation is the most considerable part of the expense of a trip in Morocco. Food, activities, and miscellaneous expenses do not account for the accommodation cost.

READ ALSO | Unique things to do in Marrakech

Accommodation: The Backbone of Your Budget

On this trip to Morocco, we want to mix things up, sometimes splurge, and sometimes be more attentive to our budget.

• Budget Hotels and Riads: Our nightly costs ranged from 150 MAD (about $15) in smaller towns like Chefchouen and Tetouan, up to 550 MAD ($50-ish) in more touristy spots like Marrakech and Fez. Essaouira was a bargain hunter, as you can stay cheap outside the medina (20 min walking).
• Hostels and Coliving Spaces: We stayed at a few affordable hostels and coliving spots, especially in Essaouira and Tamraght, around 180-230 MAD ($18-23) per night.
• Riad Experiences: In cities like Marrakech and Fes, we splurged a bit on some quaint riads—these cost around 300-600 MAD per night but came with rich Moroccan character and some included meals or extras like rooftop terraces.
• Cost vs comfort: The premium mainly comes from location and the “authentic” feel. We paid extra for a few riads with included breakfasts (so we were saving somewhere) and a bit of charm, but overall, mixing in budget hostels balanced the spend nicely.

Accommodation is totally doable on a budget here, but you do pay a small premium for location and comfort, especially close to medinas or beaches. It wasn’t our usual Southeast Asia prices.

Our accommodation budget seems closer to the hotel prices we had during our trip to China. Anyway, we loved our mix of places because it gave us a taste of everything—from lively medina alleys to relaxed coastal vibes.

Eating Like a Local: Our Food Budget and Recommendations

Fast food? Nope. We rarely hit the big chains and instead opted for affordable local spots. If you love street food, Morocco can be your favourite place.

We spent hours looking at the map for the most local restaurants, often outside the popular area. That’s how we ended up eating a chicken taco for 20 MAD in Essaouira, or a mixed meat sandwich in a dusty stand in Tamraght for 10 MAD.

These are some of the expenses you should expect when travelling in Morocco on a budget.

• Cheap street eats and snacks: Crepes from carts were just 20 MAD (~$2). One of our favourites was a chicken taco in Tamraght for about 100 MAD for two, including skewers. Sandwiches with minced meat or chicken went for 10-30 MAD each.
• Budget restaurants: Tagines, couscous, and other Moroccan staples cost us around 40-120 MAD per meal for the two of us.
• Good Restaurants: Occasionally, we splurge a bit in places like Fez or Tetouan, but the budget was still affordable.
• Coffee and Tea: Mint tea and coffee cost us just 8-15 MAD a pot, while fresh juices and treats like doughnuts came in under 10 MAD.
• Extras & Treats: Fresh squeezed orange juice and freshly made doughnuts could be had for under 10 MAD.

Eating was one of our favourite parts—you get quality, authentic flavours for very little. Just avoid the overly touristy places, like some restaurants at the souks, where prices spike.

We found the best meals in smaller alleys away from heavy hoards of tourists. That said, we didn’t have any belly problems or food poisoning while in Morocco, as many flags out.

Water and drinks

As in Asia, you should avoid drinking tap water in Morocco, and this can increase the overall costs. We paid very different prices for 1.5L of water depending on the places we stayed. The baseline we spent was 6 MAD, but we also went up to 12 MAD.

Random fact, while travelling, they often thought I was Moroccan. Once in Marrakech, I was on a side street of Jamaa El-Fnaa Square, near our hotel. The obvious tourist before me at the grocery shop paid 8 MAD for the same bottle, while I paid only 6 MAD.

Yep, Moroccan people apply different prices for locals, which can be minimal, like in this case, but can add up easily. Keep an eye, and don’t be afraid to ask. To reduce plastic waste, we also bought a 5L water tank from the grocery for just 12 MAD.

We drank coca cola quite often and this was only 10 MAD, juice comes to 20 MAD. 

Transport: How We Got Around Morocco

Transport costs can add up, but with some planning, you’ll keep them manageable. Our top expense is, of course, the car rental, but overall, it worked well.

We took two long journeys in 40 days, one with CTM (local bus company) and another with AC VAN from Taghazout to Essaouira. We spent 2,359 MAD.

On long transport, this includes gasoline, tolls and parking fees (excludes the car rental).

We covered 2,500 km only by driving, which you must include at the beginning of the trip, starting from Agadir. Quite impressive!

• Local Bus & Shared Taxis: For shorter hops between towns, buses cost as little as 5-20 MAD per person. For example, the bus from Tamraght to Taghazout was just 5.50 MAD each. Shared taxis to attractions often charge less than a tour, but you’ll have to wait for the van to fill, or pay a premium.
• CTM Bus for Longer Distances: We used CTM for trips like Essaouira to Marrakech, spending around 200 MAD per person. Booking in advance online costs the same as booking in person.
• Car Rental: This was a big chunk of our budget because we wanted maximum freedom. The total car rental came to about £250 ($340 | €290) for 21 days with minimal fuel costs (~50 MAD / £4 per 100 km).
  
  We got a small Hyundai i10 through DiscoverCars, which was perfect for city driving and mountain roads. Remember that when renting a car, you might also need to add costs for tolls on the highway and parking spaces.

Driving in Morocco is quite something, to be fair. (WATCH OUR VIDEO HERE) Expect aggressive taxi drivers, random pedestrian crossings, and lots of police roadblocks checking speed. But the views (especially in the Atlas Mountains) and freedom to explore were worth it.

READ ALSO | Unique things to do in Marrakech

Activities: Sightseeing Without Breaking the Bank

Morocco’s charm is in its sights and experiences, and many are budget-friendly.

• Entry fees: We paid around 50 MAD each for historic sites like Madrasa Ben Youssef in Marrakech and 20 MAD for smaller places like the tanneries in Fes.
• Free and cheap outdoor experiences: Sunrise walks in Chefchouen, exploring the beaches in Tamraght and Essaouira, and hiking to viewpoints like the Spanish Mosque were all free.
• Desert Experiences: Our overnight stay near Merzouga dunes included accommodations and meals—all packaged for about 800 MAD per person.
• Local Markets & Souks: Visiting markets costs nothing unless you buy souvenirs or snacks. Bargaining comes in handy—you can snag leather goods, spices, and art for reasonable prices. We got Ale shoes for just 200 MAD.

Cost of travelling in Morocco

To give you a complete overview of what you will spend in Morocco, below is a list of expenses and items we bought. This is a Morocco travel budget guide for authentic explorers, going deeper, more local, and staying on a budget.

• Local Sim Card + Data: 120 MAD (£10 | €12 | $14).
• Tagine Chicken: 60 MAD (£5 | €6 | $7).
• Harira Soup: 8 MAD (£0.70 | €0.80 | $0.90).
• Berber Coffee and Mint Tea: 12 MAD (£1 | €1.10 | $1.30).
• Orange Juice: 20 MAD (£1.60 | €1.90 | $2.20)
• 1.5L Water: 8 MAD (£0.7 | €0.8 | $0.90) – We found even at 6 or 10 in touristy places.
• Local bus: 4 MAD (£0.3 | €0.4 | $0.4)

You may have additional costs while you travel in Morocco

On a long trip, there were so many cost categories that I was continuously updating our spreadsheet. Some of the outlay we added were tips, laundry, and leisure.

Even though it is not custom in Morocco to leave tips, we did so on tours and in some restaurants with exceptional service. 10 to 30 MAD were always sufficient to get a smile.

Regarding laundry, we did have to tip our riad in Fez once, just 50 MAD for a full load. Most of the other times, we were getting accommodation with a washing machine included, so we were saving on costs. Laundry in Morocco is expensive, even up to 100 DH for 5 KG.

What We Learned About Morocco Travel Costs for Budget Travellers

These are a few things we learned, and our tips for saving money in Morocco:

• Plan to spend around 700-1200 MAD (£57/100 | €66/114 | $77/130) per day as a couple for a low-mid range budget. This covers decent accommodation, local meals, some activities, and transport.
• Splurge smartly: It’s worth spending a little more on a good riad in cities for the full experience. But budget hotels and hostels for the beaches and smaller towns worked well.
• Withdrawal from Al Barid Bank: We did our research before heading to Morocco. Al Barid Bank (Yellow Sign), often near Post Maroc Offices, has no fees on withdrawal. At least for UK Banks, we use Revolut on our trips. Other banks may add a £3-£5 fee. Max Withdrawal 2,000 MAD.
• Take a bus over the taxi: A taxi could charge over 100 MAD for the same route we did for 4 MAD on a local bus. Also, it adds a layer of authenticity to your trip.
• Eat like a local: Street food and small local cafes keep costs down and offer the best taste of Morocco’s culinary scene. Mix it up to level your Morocco Budget.
• Rent a car: If you are staying in Morocco for more than a week and want to explore the countryside villages or move around, rent a car. We worked out that as a couple we could have paid more in CTM tickets than actually renting a car, fuel and other annexes costs.
• Booking in advance: For places like Marrakech and Fes, booking accommodation and tours in advance saves money and hassle.
• InDrive: We used this taxi app in Asia. You can set your offer, and a taxi driver can accept or decline. While we didn’t use it in Morocco, it is a great way to understand the cost of a trip and then bargain with a local taxi driver. Bear in mind that InDrive drivers are banned from some streets, and taxi drivers don’t like them at all.

How does Morocco’s budget compare with other backpacker destinations?

As a couple who have been travelling extensively in Southeast Asia, as well as in Europe and the Balkans, always with the backpack, Morocco isn’t the cheapest.

I mean, while you can get away with a low budget eating out, you can’t say the same for accommodations. These can be a considerable part of your trip, and for good comfort, nothing is below £20. With the same budget, you can stay 2 nights in a good guesthouse in Thailand.

Even Vietnam was cheaper, with some luxury accommodation in Sapa for just £20 per night. Overall costs in Morocco are very similar to the Balkans, and we have been travelling around Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia (this is truly expensive).

Final Thoughts: Morocco on a Budget is Totally Doable

We did it, and made 40 days in Morocco, with 30% spare on our forecast. It was hard, though. Accommodations in Morocco are expensive compared to other backpackers’ and budget travellers’ destinations.

However, if you forecast at least £30 per night, and book in advance, you are in a safe spot. Morocco checks the boxes for budget travellers, especially those looking for authentic experiences. The centre of the country (Atlas Mountains) might offer fewer activities than Marrakech or Fez, but more outdoor and authenticity.

Keep the cash handy in small bills, master some French or Arabic phrases for better bargaining, and be prepared to embrace the local pace. Don’t hesitate to try local eats, and be ready to bargain hard in markets and parking spots. With the right approach, you’ll be able to enjoy all Morocco has to offer without spending a fortune.

FAQ | Morocco Travel Cost Guide