Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marrakech and Almaty

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.

43

Cost of Living Index in Marrakech
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Marrakech Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

Jump to prices

Marrakech

🇲🇦 Morocco

$889

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marrakech and in Almaty

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

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

Marrakech $889
Almaty $1,372

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

Marrakech $1,327
Almaty $2,142

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

Marrakech $1,765
Almaty $2,913

Marrakech is about 35% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.60 MAD 35.10

$13.16 ₸5,949

-72.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.92 MAD 301

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-31.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 MAD 58.8

$8.90 ₸4,022

-32.25%

Cappuccino

$2.29 MAD 22.32

$3.25 ₸1,469

-29.54%

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

$1.96 MAD 19.11

$1.41 ₸639

39.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 MAD 6.45

$0.88 ₸399

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 MAD 66.3

$3.35 ₸1,513

102.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MAD 52.1

$4.04 ₸1,827

32.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 MAD 8.06

$1.69 ₸762

-50.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 MAD 7.90

$0.86 ₸390

-5.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MAD 15.29

$2.03 ₸917

-22.66%

Eggs

$2.00 MAD 19.48

$2.43 ₸1,100

-17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 MAD 76.8

$12.46 ₸5,632

-36.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 MAD 52.9

$6.71 ₸3,033

-19.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MAD 112

$10.85 ₸4,905

5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MAD 15.86

$1.80 ₸813

-9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MAD 13.87

$2.25 ₸1,018

-36.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 MAD 8.83

$2.91 ₸1,314

-68.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 MAD 7.75

$2.75 ₸1,243

-70.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 6.99

$0.75 ₸337

-4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MAD 7.57

$0.55 ₸248

41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 MAD 2.24

$1.62 ₸732

-85.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MAD 5.51

$1.05 ₸474

-46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MAD 39.97

$2.58 ₸1,167

58.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 MAD 77.1

$11.15 ₸5,042

-29.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 MAD 22.12

$1.21 ₸547

87.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MAD 32.69

$2.44 ₸1,104

37.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MAD 3.83

$0.26 ₸117

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 MAD 256

$22.03 ₸9,957

18.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 MAD 8.47

$1.35 ₸611

-35.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 MAD 6.24

$0.64 ₸288

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 MAD 71.2

$11.16 ₸5,044

-34.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MAD 14.48

$0.72 ₸324

106.94%

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

$33.9K MAD 331.0K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

50.73%

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

$30.2K MAD 294.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-0.26%

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

$35.87 MAD 350

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-60.93%

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

$8.89 MAD 86.6

$10.66 ₸4,820

-16.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.31 MAD 364

$17.86 ₸8,072

108.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.67 MAD 280

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-59.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 MAD 206

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-23.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 MAD 61.5

$6.78 ₸3,064

-7.08%

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

$101 MAD 985

$449 ₸202.9K

-77.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,211 MAD 80.1K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-32.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.02 MAD 312

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-64.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.81 MAD 437

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-4.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 MAD 813

$142 ₸64.1K

-41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 MAD 794

$133 ₸60.0K

-38.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 MAD 4,769

$805 ₸363.7K

-39.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 MAD 3,027

$500 ₸225.9K

-37.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 MAD 7,154

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-48.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 MAD 4,339

$904 ₸408.8K

-50.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MAD 18.8K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-22.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$938 MAD 9,145

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-39.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 MAD 4,791

$870 ₸393.3K

-43.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

20.65

-78.21%

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

Last update for Marrakech: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marrakech

$310 34.9%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 60.9% $189

Groceries & Markets

Marrakech

$185 20.8%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 35% $65

Eating Out

Marrakech

$130 14.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 58.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Marrakech

$109 12.2%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 70.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marrakech

$82 9.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 46.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Marrakech

$41 4.6%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 103% $43

Getting Around

Marrakech

$32 3.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 13.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $489 in Marrakech versus $805 in Almaty. 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 $31.00 in Marrakech versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $250 – making Marrakech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Marrakech

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

5 h ahead of Marrakech

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,002,697

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

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).

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).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marrakech Almaty 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Marrakech
Almaty

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

Marrakech vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Marrakech and $2,058 in Almaty. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Marrakech and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $889 in Marrakech and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 54%.

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.

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.

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, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.