Short answer: On the ground in Morocco, plan on roughly MAD 270–610 (about $27–61) per person per day on a guesthouse-and-tagine budget, MAD 700–1,750 ($70–175) in a mid-range riad shared by two with a monument or guide most days, and from about MAD 2,600 ($260) for luxury riads, private drivers and guided tours. A week therefore costs about $190–430, $490–1,230 or from about $1,830 per person, before flights. For a reality check, Morocco’s tourism minister put the average spend per stay at MAD 7,300 (about $735) in 2024, and MAD 9,500 (about $955) for visitors from the United States.
Morocco is one of the best-value destinations within easy reach of Europe and the US East Coast. A tagine lunch costs a few dollars, a glass of mint tea less than one, and the national trains are cheap and comfortable. The big costs are where you sleep (a beautiful riad in a Marrakech or Fez medina can cost as much as a hotel in Europe), guided tours and drivers, and the desert trip to the Sahara. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources, so you can build a realistic budget for your own trip to Morocco. Bank Al-Maghrib’s reference rate was about MAD 9.95 to the US dollar in early October 2026; dollar figures here are rounded at that rate, and our Money exchange tool has today’s rate.
Morocco daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the prices further down this page: one person, one city day in Marrakech or Fez. They leave out flights, intercity travel, the desert trip and shopping in the souks.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel bed or half of a simple guesthouse room: MAD 150–300 | Half of a mid-range riad double at MAD 700–1,800: MAD 350–900 | Half of a luxury riad or hotel room from about MAD 3,000: from MAD 1,500 |
| Food | A tagine lunch, a cheap dinner and mint tea: MAD 100–160 | A tagine lunch plus a riad or rooftop dinner: MAD 200–450 | Restaurant and hotel dining: about MAD 500 |
| Transport | Walking, a petit taxi or a city bus: MAD 15–50 | A few petit taxis: MAD 40–100 | Private driver: from about MAD 300 |
| Sights | One monument or museum: MAD 0–100 | Monuments plus a share of a licensed guide: MAD 100–300 | Private guide and entries: from about MAD 300 |
| Total | About MAD 270–610 ($27–61) | About MAD 700–1,750 ($70–175) | From about MAD 2,600 ($260) |
Monument and museum prices are the official foreign-visitor prices; meal prices are typical October 2026 Marrakech prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index and our city guides; room, taxi and guide figures are the typical ranges used in our Morocco guides. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes.
What visitors actually spend in Morocco
According to Morocco’s Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, the average spend per stay rose by about 32% between 2019 and 2024, to MAD 7,300 (about $735). Americans spend more than most, about MAD 9,500 ($955) per stay, and visitors from the Gulf states about MAD 12,600. Bank Al-Maghrib’s 2025 annual report, using UN Tourism data, puts receipts at about $747 per visitor, lower than Spain or Turkey, partly because many visitors are Moroccans living abroad who stay with family. Morocco welcomed 19.8 million visitors in 2025, up 13.7% on 2024.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), Morocco scores 43. In plain words, typical travel prices are well under half of US levels, and about half of Spain’s (80) just across the Strait of Gibraltar or Portugal’s (72). On the same scale, Morocco is pricier than Tunisia (24) or Egypt (14).
Accommodation costs
Staying in a riad, a traditional townhouse built around a courtyard, is one of the joys of a Moroccan trip, and prices vary hugely with size, location and season. As typical ranges for a mid-range double, the same ones we use in our city guides:
| Place | Mid-range double, per night |
|---|---|
| Marrakech riad | About MAD 900–2,000 ($90–200) |
| Fez riad | About MAD 700–1,600 ($70–160) |
| Casablanca hotel | About MAD 800–1,800 ($80–180) |
| Essaouira riad | About MAD 600–1,400 ($60–140) |
| Chefchaouen guesthouse | About MAD 400–1,000 ($40–100) |
| Merzouga kasbah hotel on the dune edge | About MAD 500–1,500 ($50–150) |
Hotels and riads usually add a local tourist tax per person per night, which depends on the category of the property and the city; check whether it is included when you compare prices. Rates rise around European Easter, Christmas and New Year, and in the popular spring and autumn months, and Marrakech is busiest in October.
Food and drink costs
Moroccan food is a highlight, and eating locally is cheap. Our city guides put a tagine lunch in a local restaurant at about MAD 50–100 ($5–10), mint tea in a café at MAD 8–20, a bissara breakfast or medina snack at MAD 10–40, and dinner at a food stall on Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fna at about MAD 60–120. Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for Marrakech put a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about MAD 35 ($3.50), a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about MAD 300 ($30), and a cappuccino at about MAD 22 ($2.20).
Rooftop and riad restaurants in Marrakech charge about MAD 200–450 per person for dinner, and grilled fish at Essaouira’s port about MAD 80–200. Alcohol is served only in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants and is relatively expensive: Numbeo lists a half-liter of local beer at about MAD 65 ($6.50). Prices in shops and restaurants include VAT.
Getting around: trains, buses, taxis and car hire
- Trains: the national railway, ONCF, links Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Meknes and Fez. Al Boraq, the high-speed train, runs Tangier to Casablanca in about 2 hours 10 minutes, with second-class fares from about MAD 200 ($20) depending on the fare. Classic Al Atlas trains are cheaper and slower.
- Coaches: CTM and Supratours, ONCF’s coach company, serve places the railway does not reach, such as Essaouira, Chefchaouen, Agadir and the south. Typical fares are about MAD 90–120 from Marrakech to Essaouira and MAD 80–110 from Chefchaouen to Fez.
- Petit taxis: small metered city taxis, colored by city; a ride across town typically costs MAD 15–50. Grand taxis are shared or hired for longer trips.
- City transport: Numbeo puts a local bus ticket in Marrakech at about MAD 4, and a Casablanca tram ride costs about MAD 6–8.
- Car hire: useful for the Atlas, the kasbahs and the desert. Numbeo puts gasoline at about MAD 14.70 ($1.50) a liter in early October 2026.
For realistic travel times between the imperial cities, the coast and the Sahara, see our Morocco itinerary.
Sightseeing fees and free things to do
Morocco’s monuments are inexpensive by world standards. Official prices for foreign adults, as of October 2026:
| Sight | Foreign adult |
|---|---|
| Majorelle Garden, Marrakech (online tickets only) | MAD 170 ($17); with the Berber Museum and YSL Museum MAD 330 |
| Hassan II Mosque guided tour, Casablanca | MAD 140 ($14) |
| Bahia Palace, Badi Palace or Saadian Tombs, Marrakech | MAD 100 ($10) each |
| Volubilis Roman site, near Meknes | MAD 100 ($10) |
| Kasbah of Chefchaouen | MAD 80 ($8) |
| Caves of Hercules, Tangier | MAD 80 ($8) |
| Batha Museum, Fez | MAD 60 ($6) |
| Skala du Port, Essaouira | MAD 60 ($6) |
| Dar Si Said museum, Marrakech | MAD 30 ($3) |
Moroccans enter the Ministry of Culture’s monuments free on Fridays, so those days can be busier, and most national museums close one day a week, usually Tuesday. Much of the best of Morocco costs nothing: the evening show on Jemaa el-Fna, wandering the medinas of Fez and Chefchaouen, the ramparts and beach of Essaouira, and walking in the High Atlas villages (see our hiking guide). A licensed guide costs about MAD 300–500 for a half day, worth it in the Fez medina. Our Top 10 places to visit in Morocco has more ideas.
The Sahara trip
A night in the dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga is on most first-time itineraries. Typical prices per person: about MAD 400–900 ($40–90) for a standard desert camp with a camel ride, dinner and breakfast, and MAD 1,500–4,000 ($150–400) for a luxury camp. A half-day 4×4 tour around the dunes costs about MAD 700–1,200 per vehicle. Getting there is the bigger cost: Merzouga is a long day’s drive from Marrakech or Fez, so most visitors join a multi-day tour or hire a driver, often via Ouarzazate.
Taxes, money and tipping
The dirham is a closed currency, so you get it on arrival: ATMs are common in cities and towns and give the best rates, and banks and official exchange bureaus change euros, dollars and pounds. Notes of MAD 20, 50, 100 and 200 are in circulation; keep small notes, as change is often short. Cards are accepted in most hotels, larger restaurants, supermarkets and malls, and for train tickets, but cash is king in the souks, small riads, cafés, taxis and buses, and ATMs are scarce in the desert and mountain villages. Keep your exchange receipts, which make it easier to change leftover dirhams back at the airport. You must declare foreign currency worth MAD 100,000 or more when you enter or leave.
Tipping is expected for most services: about 10% in restaurants if service is not included, rounded-up taxi fares, small notes for porters, parking attendants and hammam staff, and something for drivers on desert tours. Our tip calculator does the math.
Money-saving tips for Morocco
- Take the train between cities. ONCF trains are cheaper than private transfers and comfortable.
- Eat where locals eat. A tagine in a local restaurant costs a fraction of a rooftop dinner.
- Book riads directly and compare totals with the tourist tax included.
- Travel in the quieter weeks. January, February and early June are calmest, outside the Easter and autumn peaks. Our best time to visit Morocco guide has the details.
- Hire official guides only. A licensed guide at MAD 300–500 for a half day saves time in the maze-like medinas.
- Agree prices first. In souks, grand taxis and for any service without a posted price, agree the price before you start.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for Morocco from our guides to Marrakech, Fez, Chefchaouen, Essaouira and Merzouga. The Morocco itinerary shows how to fit them into one or two weeks, and the Money exchange tool turns dirhams into your own currency.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in Morocco?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly MAD 1,900–4,300 ($190–430) per person on a tight budget, MAD 4,900–12,250 ($490–1,230) mid-range and from about MAD 18,200 ($1,830) in comfort, before flights. Add a desert trip if you are going to the Sahara. The official average spend of MAD 7,300 per stay sits within the mid-range band.
Is Morocco expensive?
No. On our travel cost scale Morocco scores 43 against 100 for the United States, so meals, transport and most rooms cost well under half of US prices. Luxury riads, private tours and desert camps can still add up quickly.
Do I need cash in Morocco?
Yes. Medinas, cafés, taxis, buses and tips run on cash, and ATMs are scarce in the desert and mountains. Withdraw dirhams from ATMs in cities, as you cannot easily buy them before you travel.
How much does a Sahara desert trip cost?
A standard camp near Merzouga with a camel ride, dinner and breakfast typically costs MAD 400–900 ($40–90) per person, and a luxury camp MAD 1,500–4,000 ($150–400). Transport from Marrakech or Fez, usually on a multi-day tour or with a driver, comes on top.
How much is the Majorelle Garden?
MAD 170 ($17) for the garden, MAD 230 with the Pierre Bergé Museum of Berber Arts and MAD 330 with the Yves Saint Laurent Museum as well, according to the garden’s official ticket site. Tickets are sold only online, and children under 10 enter free.
What is the cheapest month to visit Morocco?
January, February and early June are the quietest periods between the holiday peaks, and Ramadan is quieter still. Marrakech and the south are sunny in winter but cold at night, while prices rise around European Easter, in October and over Christmas and New Year.