Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Marrakech

For one person, living is cheaper in Marrakech: $872 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Marrakech
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Marrakech Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Marrakech

🇲🇦 Morocco

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town 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 Cape Town and in Marrakech actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $872 in Marrakech, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Marrakech $872

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,299 in Marrakech, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Marrakech $1,299

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,726 in Marrakech, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Marrakech $1,726

Cape Town costs about 80% more than Marrakech, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Marrakech is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$3.44 MAD 34.16

242.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$30.44 MAD 302

52.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$5.88 MAD 58.3

1.36%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$2.14 MAD 21.25

15.42%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 22.03

$1.85 MAD 18.30

-28.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.59 MAD 5.90

74.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$6.56 MAD 65.1

-54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$5.55 MAD 55.1

-34.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$0.80 MAD 7.94

73.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$0.78 MAD 7.76

52.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$1.50 MAD 14.84

40.67%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$1.93 MAD 19.17

55.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$7.51 MAD 74.5

19.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.14 MAD 51.0

29.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$11.06 MAD 110

-16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$1.59 MAD 15.81

15.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$1.32 MAD 13.09

43.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$0.92 MAD 9.16

90.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$0.76 MAD 7.51

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$0.66 MAD 6.51

134.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$0.77 MAD 7.66

93.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$0.22 MAD 2.18

490.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.59 MAD 5.83

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$4.00 MAD 39.67

-7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$7.55 MAD 74.9

-19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$2.16 MAD 21.44

-35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$3.16 MAD 31.35

-30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$0.39 MAD 3.84

287.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$24.95 MAD 247

144.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$0.80 MAD 7.96

-21.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$0.57 MAD 5.70

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$6.97 MAD 69.2

-30.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.44 MAD 14.25

9.72%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.5K R 588.7K

$33.1K MAD 328.4K

7.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K R 526.6K

$29.1K MAD 288.3K

9.21%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$116 R 1,930

$34.25 MAD 340

239.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.37 R 471

$8.91 MAD 88.4

218.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$36.28 MAD 360

12.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$27.95 MAD 277

74.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$20.22 MAD 201

-44.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$6.44 MAD 63.9

37.11%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$261 R 4,336

$98.8 MAD 980

164.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$8,253 MAD 81.9K

-18.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$30.84 MAD 306

79.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$44.10 MAD 437

-26.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$79.5 MAD 788

47.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$80.0 MAD 794

33.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$459 MAD 4,557

120.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$299 MAD 2,969

138.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$705 MAD 6,995

155.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$437 MAD 4,334

204.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$1,846 MAD 18.3K

26.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$899 MAD 8,915

68.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$483 MAD 4,795

238.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.5

143.78%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Marrakech: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Marrakech

$299 34.9% 58.2% $416

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Marrakech

$178 20.8% 20% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Marrakech

$79 9.3% 57.2% $106

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Marrakech

$125 14.5% 28.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Marrakech

$106 12.3% 24.9% $35

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Marrakech

$30 3.5% 59.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Marrakech

$41 4.8% 38.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $459 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 238% higher in Cape Town, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $30.00 in Marrakech. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $178 – making Marrakech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Marrakech

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,002,697

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 MAD = 10.08 USD

100 MAD = 9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.58 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.92 MAD (1 MAD = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.11 MAD (100 MAD = 9 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Marrakech 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Marrakech: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 80% more than Marrakech, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,309 in Marrakech. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $872 in Marrakech. That's a gap of about 80%.

Public transport costs about 144% less in Marrakech. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Marrakech, where all-in costs run around $872, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Marrakech it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Marrakech costs $872 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Marrakech. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.