Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Sale, Morocco

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $625 a month against $912 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rabat, Morocco
Sale, Morocco
Rabat
🇲🇦 Morocco
$912
/mo nomad
Sale
🇲🇦 Morocco
$625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rabat and in Sale

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

A single person spends $912 per month in Rabat vs $625 in Sale, rent included.

  • Rabat $912
  • Sale $625

A couple spends around $1,495 per month in Rabat vs $1,030 in Sale, rent included.

  • Rabat $1,495
  • Sale $1,030

A family of three spends $2,078 per month in Rabat vs $1,434 in Sale, rent included.

  • Rabat $2,078
  • Sale $1,434

Rabat costs about 46% more than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rabat and Sale are more affordable than the global median – Rabat 33% lower, Sale 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.02 MAD 39.21
$3.58 MAD 34.96
12.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.54 MAD 395
$17.72 MAD 173
128.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.99 MAD 68.2
$7.08 MAD 69.0
-1.27%
Cappuccino
$2.03 MAD 19.84
$1.82 MAD 17.71
11.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 MAD 5.55
$0.53 MAD 5.12
7.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 MAD 3.52
$0.30 MAD 2.93
20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.23 MAD 51.0
$2.60 MAD 25.41
101.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 MAD 30.21
$3.10 MAD 30.25
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.89 MAD 8.73
$0.88 MAD 8.55
1.14%
White Bread (500g)
$0.61 MAD 5.92
$0.62 MAD 6.01
-1.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MAD 18.81
$1.95 MAD 19.00
-1.03%
Eggs
$1.91 MAD 18.59
$1.89 MAD 18.47
1.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.25 MAD 110
$11.30 MAD 110
-0.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.83 MAD 66.6
$6.51 MAD 63.5
4.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.05 MAD 117
$12.09 MAD 118
-0.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 MAD 15.55
$1.38 MAD 13.42
15.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MAD 13.50
$1.21 MAD 11.81
14.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.81 MAD 7.92
$0.94 MAD 9.20
-13.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.82 MAD 8.02
$0.88 MAD 8.63
-6.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 MAD 6.99
$0.70 MAD 6.86
2.86%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 MAD 7.77
$0.73 MAD 7.13
9.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.36 MAD 3.53
$0.43 MAD 4.18
-16.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 MAD 5.89
$0.62 MAD 6.01
-3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 MAD 39.96
$3.81 MAD 37.12
7.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.51 MAD 73.3
$4.50 MAD 43.85
66.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 MAD 25.98
$2.12 MAD 20.67
25.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 MAD 25.25
$2.14 MAD 20.84
21.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Rabat
Sale
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.50 MAD 4.92
$0.54 MAD 5.26
-7.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.16 MAD 245
$22.81 MAD 222
10.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.72 MAD 7.04
$0.74 MAD 7.20
-2.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 MAD 7.21
$0.53 MAD 5.20
39.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 MAD 39.14
$4.06 MAD 39.56
-1.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MAD 14.96
$1.46 MAD 14.23
4.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2K MAD 294.5K
$30.3K MAD 295.2K
-0.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K MAD 311.4K
$29.8K MAD 290.6K
7.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$36.33 MAD 354
$37.19 MAD 363
-2.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.94 MAD 96.9
$10.04 MAD 97.9
-1.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.00 MAD 332
$40.87 MAD 399
-16.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.85 MAD 252
$16.01 MAD 156
61.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.47 MAD 229
$40.98 MAD 400
-42.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.03 MAD 58.9
$5.03 MAD 49.09
19.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$181 MAD 1,761
$101 MAD 984
79.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.8K MAD 134.1K
$5,838 MAD 56.9K
135.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.10 MAD 469
$31.59 MAD 308
52.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.64 MAD 396
$46.56 MAD 454
-12.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.7 MAD 885
$71.8 MAD 700
26.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.7 MAD 651
$64.4 MAD 628
3.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rabat
Sale
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$565 MAD 5,515
$205 MAD 1,995
176.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 MAD 3,259
$100 MAD 976
234.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MAD 9,391
$356 MAD 3,471
170.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$694 MAD 6,771
$256 MAD 2,499
170.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,132 MAD 20.8K
$1,126 MAD 11.0K
89.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,229 MAD 12.0K
$812 MAD 7,920
51.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rabat
Sale
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$672 MAD 6,555
$508 MAD 4,952
32.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.55
5
-9.00%

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

Last update for Rabat: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rabat
$334
Sale
$100 70.1% $234
Groceries & Markets
Rabat
$204
Sale
$192 5.9% $12
Eating Out
Rabat
$114
Sale
$94 17.1% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Rabat
$111
Sale
$96 13% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rabat
$80
Sale
$88 9.8% $7.8
Sport & Entertainment
Rabat
$38
Sale
$26 31.2% $12
Getting Around
Rabat
$32
Sale
$28 10.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Rabat versus $205 in Sale. 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 32% higher in Rabat, 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 $41 in Rabat versus $18 in Sale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $192 – making Sale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Rabat
🇲🇦 Sale
🕒 Local time
19:12 7:12 PM
19:12 7:12 PM
Same time as Rabat
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
573,895 Capital
890,403
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.95 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

On the map
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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
Rabat vs Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rabat or Sale?
Rabat costs about 46% more than Sale, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Rabat and in Sale?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,368 per month in Rabat and $938 in Sale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Rabat or Sale?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sale, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $205 there versus $565 in Rabat.
How expensive is transport in Rabat compared to Sale?
Public transport costs about 9% less in Sale. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Rabat and in Sale?
Kindergarten costs $181 per month in Rabat and $101 in Sale. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Rabat or in Sale?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sale, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Rabat at $912. In Sale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Sale – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Rabat compared to Sale?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Rabat or to Sale?
If budget matters most, go with Sale. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rabat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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