Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Marrakech

For one person, living is cheaper in Marrakech: $889 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,372
/mo nomad
Marrakech
🇲🇦 Morocco
$889
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Marrakech

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Almaty and in Marrakech actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $889 in Marrakech, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,372
  • Marrakech $889

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,327 in Marrakech, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,142
  • Marrakech $1,327

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,765 in Marrakech, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,913
  • Marrakech $1,765

Almaty costs about 54% more than Marrakech, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Marrakech is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 ₸5,949
$3.60 MAD 35.10
265.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 ₸20.3K
$30.92 MAD 301
45.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 ₸4,022
$6.03 MAD 58.8
47.60%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ₸1,469
$2.29 MAD 22.32
41.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ₸639
$1.96 MAD 19.11
-28.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₸399
$0.66 MAD 6.45
33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 ₸1,513
$6.80 MAD 66.3
-50.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 ₸1,827
$5.34 MAD 52.1
-24.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₸762
$0.83 MAD 8.06
103.61%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 ₸390
$0.81 MAD 7.90
6.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ₸917
$1.57 MAD 15.29
29.30%
Eggs
$2.43 ₸1,100
$2.00 MAD 19.48
21.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.46 ₸5,632
$7.87 MAD 76.8
58.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 ₸3,033
$5.42 MAD 52.9
23.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ₸4,905
$11.50 MAD 112
-5.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ₸813
$1.63 MAD 15.86
10.43%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ₸1,018
$1.42 MAD 13.87
58.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ₸1,314
$0.91 MAD 8.83
219.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 ₸1,243
$0.80 MAD 7.75
243.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₸337
$0.72 MAD 6.99
4.17%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₸248
$0.78 MAD 7.57
-29.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 ₸732
$0.23 MAD 2.24
604.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₸474
$0.56 MAD 5.51
87.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.58 ₸1,167
$4.10 MAD 39.97
-37.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 ₸5,042
$7.91 MAD 77.1
40.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸547
$2.27 MAD 22.12
-46.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₸1,104
$3.35 MAD 32.69
-27.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₸117
$0.39 MAD 3.83
-33.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.03 ₸9,957
$26.21 MAD 256
-15.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₸611
$0.87 MAD 8.47
55.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸288
$0.64 MAD 6.24
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.16 ₸5,044
$7.31 MAD 71.2
52.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 ₸324
$1.49 MAD 14.48
-51.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ₸10.2M
$33.9K MAD 331.0K
-33.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K ₸13.7M
$30.2K MAD 294.4K
0.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.8 ₸41.5K
$35.87 MAD 350
155.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ₸4,820
$8.89 MAD 86.6
19.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.86 ₸8,072
$37.31 MAD 364
-52.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.3 ₸31.8K
$28.67 MAD 280
145.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.60 ₸12.5K
$21.14 MAD 206
30.56%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 ₸3,064
$6.30 MAD 61.5
7.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 ₸202.9K
$101 MAD 985
344.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ₸5.5M
$8,211 MAD 80.1K
47.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 ₸40.7K
$32.02 MAD 312
180.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.02 ₸21.3K
$44.81 MAD 437
4.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 ₸64.1K
$83.4 MAD 813
70.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.0K
$81.5 MAD 794
63.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 ₸363.7K
$489 MAD 4,769
64.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₸225.9K
$310 MAD 3,027
60.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₸645.9K
$734 MAD 7,154
94.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$904 ₸408.8K
$445 MAD 4,339
103.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,503 ₸1.1M
$1,930 MAD 18.8K
29.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,559 ₸704.7K
$938 MAD 9,145
66.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Marrakech
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$870 ₸393.3K
$491 MAD 4,791
77.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
4.5
358.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Marrakech: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$500
Marrakech
$310 37.9% $189
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$250
Marrakech
$185 25.9% $65
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Marrakech
$130 36.8% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$185
Marrakech
$109 41.3% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$120
Marrakech
$82 31.8% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$84
Marrakech
$41 50.8% $43
Getting Around
Almaty
$28
Marrakech
$32 15.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $489 in Marrakech. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 77% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $31.00 in Marrakech. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $185 – making Marrakech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇲🇦 Marrakech
🕒 Local time
14:25 2:25 PM
09:25 9:25 AM
5 h behind Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
1,002,697
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Marrakech 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Marrakech

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Almaty vs Marrakech: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marrakech cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,334 in Marrakech. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Marrakech, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Marrakech?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $31.00 in Marrakech. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Marrakech?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $889 in Marrakech. That's a gap of about 54%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Marrakech?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Marrakech, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Marrakech it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Marrakech more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Marrakech – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Almaty or Marrakech?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Marrakech. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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