Morocco on a budget
Morocco is cheap in a way that surprises people, and awkward with money in a way that catches almost everyone out on the first day and the last.
At a glance
- Budget day
- 300 to 500MAD, published range
- Mid range day
- 800 to 1,500MAD, published range
- Leaving with cash
- 2,000 MADmaximum, it is the law
- ATM fee
- 25 to 40MAD per withdrawal
The dirham does not leave the country
The Moroccan dirham is a closed currency. You cannot get dirhams before you arrive, not properly and not at a rate worth having. And you cannot take more than 2,000 MAD out with you. That is the legal limit on export, which means the last-day problem is real: withdraw 3,000 on your final morning and you have a souvenir, not money.
Plan the last two days backwards. Work out what you still need, then stop withdrawing before that. Changing dirhams to euros at the airport is the worst rate you will see all trip.
It is a cash country, and not slightly
Cards work in mid-range and upper hotels and in supermarkets. Cards do not work in the souks, in taxis, in budget accommodation, or in most restaurants. That is not a warning about remote villages. That is Marrakech, on a Tuesday.
The ATM arithmetic
Withdrawal fees run 25 to 40 MAD each time, on top of whatever your own bank charges. Machines usually cap a single withdrawal at 2,000 to 5,000 MAD. So the sum is simple, and most travellers get it wrong: fewer, larger withdrawals. Six small ones across a week can quietly cost 200 MAD in fees, which is most of a day’s budget spent on nothing.
What a day actually costs
Tipping
Restaurants run 10 to 15%. A guide for the day is 100 to 200 MAD. Budgeting 50 to 100 MAD per person per day across everything covers the rest. Keep small notes.
The single biggest saving is the month you travel, see when to go to Morocco. Transport as a share of the budget is in getting around Morocco.
More from Morocco