Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Morocco

Name: Morocco
Address: MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Morocco: $756 a month against $1,209 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Morocco
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Morocco Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

🇲🇦 Morocco

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Morocco

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

A single person spends $1,209 per month in South Africa vs $756 in Morocco, rent included.

South Africa $1,209
Morocco $756

A couple spends around $1,900 per month in South Africa vs $1,183 in Morocco, rent included.

South Africa $1,900
Morocco $1,183

A family of three spends $2,590 per month in South Africa vs $1,611 in Morocco, rent included.

South Africa $2,590
Morocco $1,611

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($625–$1,586) than in Morocco ($565–$1,006), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 60% higher than in Morocco on average.

Both South Africa and Morocco are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 10% lower, Morocco 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.95 R 180

$4.04 MAD 39.37

171.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 R 708

$25.45 MAD 248

68.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 94.9

$6.99 MAD 68.2

-17.60%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.20

$1.72 MAD 16.80

38.37%

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

$1.16 R 19.15

$0.70 MAD 6.81

65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.33

$0.37 MAD 3.59

135.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.21

$4.17 MAD 40.67

-41.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R 49.14

$4.25 MAD 41.44

-29.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.38

$0.91 MAD 8.86

29.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.30

$0.65 MAD 6.30

70.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.71

$1.75 MAD 17.05

-0.57%

Eggs

$2.49 R 40.95

$1.80 MAD 17.58

38.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 R 140

$9.73 MAD 94.9

-12.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 R 85.0

$6.26 MAD 61.0

-17.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$10.99 MAD 107

-31.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.00

$1.44 MAD 14.02

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$1.36 MAD 13.24

23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.39

$0.78 MAD 7.61

128.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.21

$0.74 MAD 7.24

147.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.51

$0.71 MAD 6.94

109.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.77

$0.76 MAD 7.43

97.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.99

$0.42 MAD 4.13

202.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.09

$0.62 MAD 6.00

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$4.02 MAD 39.20

-18.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 82.9

$7.59 MAD 74.0

-33.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.10

$2.44 MAD 23.75

-37.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.16

$2.75 MAD 26.82

-29.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.53 MAD 5.18

198.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 R 1,011

$20.72 MAD 202

196.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R 18.34

$0.75 MAD 7.27

48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.64

$0.71 MAD 6.91

33.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 123

$5.32 MAD 51.9

40.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 23.98

$1.45 MAD 14.12

0.69%

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

$35.4K R 583.7K

$34.7K MAD 338.0K

2.22%

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

$30.9K R 509.0K

$30.8K MAD 300.0K

0.40%

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

$134 R 2,201

$39.16 MAD 382

241.09%

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

$34.44 R 567

$10.74 MAD 105

220.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 R 665

$38.29 MAD 373

5.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 R 562

$24.84 MAD 242

37.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.59 R 191

$19.55 MAD 191

-40.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

$6.26 MAD 61.1

14.54%

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

$227 R 3,746

$142 MAD 1,382

60.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 R 90.4K

$4,227 MAD 41.2K

29.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R 885

$34.89 MAD 340

54.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 R 554

$42.35 MAD 413

-20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 R 1,645

$83.4 MAD 813

19.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,440

$64.0 MAD 624

36.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 R 7,943

$357 MAD 3,476

35.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,568

$203 MAD 1,984

95.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$592 MAD 5,772

57.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$370 MAD 3,611

120.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,096 R 18.1K

$1,592 MAD 15.5K

-31.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$983 MAD 9,580

-20.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,515 R 25.0K

$468 MAD 4,567

223.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

4.7

138.94%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Morocco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$399 33%

Morocco

$203 26.9% 49% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$208 17.2%

Morocco

$88 11.7% 57.7% $120

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$197 16.3%

Morocco

$191 25.3% 2.9% $5.7

Eating Out

South Africa

$160 13.2%

Morocco

$108 14.2% 32.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$124 10.2%

Morocco

$101 13.4% 18.2% $22

Getting Around

South Africa

$74 6.1%

Morocco

$27 3.6% 63.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$48 4%

Morocco

$37 4.9% 22.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $421 in South Africa vs $280 in Morocco. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,021 in Cape Town and $517 in Rabat.

Average salary: $1,487 in South Africa vs $405 in Morocco. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 50% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 52% more in South Africa.

Salaries are 267% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇲🇦 Morocco

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

37,076,584

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Morocco 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Morocco

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

South Africa vs Morocco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Morocco is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 60% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $280 in Morocco.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Morocco, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Morocco is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.