How much does a Morocco trip cost?
As a rough guide, mid-range travellers spend around €60–120 per person per day in Morocco including a private driver, decent riads and meals — less if you travel simply, much more for luxury. Morocco can be done on a backpacker budget or as a five-star escape; the range is enormous.
Tours & private drivers
A shared multi-day desert tour starts around €185 per person for 3 days. A fully private tour with your own driver-guide and vehicle typically runs €90–180 per person per day depending on group size and hotels — the more people share the vehicle, the lower the per-person cost.
Accommodation
Budget riads and guesthouses cost €20–40 per room; lovely mid-range riads €50–100; luxury riads and hotels €150+. Desert camps range from ~€30 per person (standard) to €120+ (luxury en-suite).
Food & drink
Street food and local cafés: €3–6 a meal. A good restaurant tagine: €8–15. Morocco is largely dry, so alcohol is limited and relatively pricey where available. Bottled water is cheap.
Getting around
Trains between cities are excellent value (Marrakech–Casablanca ~€10–20). Grand taxis and CTM/Supratours buses are cheap. For the desert and southern circuits, a private driver is by far the most comfortable and time-efficient option.
Tipping & extras
Tipping is customary: a few dirhams for café staff, ~10% in restaurants, and €5–10 per day for a driver-guide and similar for camp staff is appreciated. Budget a little for monument entry fees (€1–7) and souk purchases.
Three sample daily budgets
As a rough planning guide, a backpacker travelling by bus and train, sleeping in budget guesthouses and eating local can manage on €30–45 per person per day. A mid-range traveller with a shared private driver, characterful riads and a mix of café and restaurant meals will spend around €70–120 per day. A luxury trip — five-star riads, a private guide-driver throughout, luxury desert camps and fine dining — runs from €200 per day upward.
The single biggest variable is the vehicle. Because a private driver-guide is priced per vehicle rather than per person, the cost per traveller falls sharply as your group grows: two people pay far more each than a family or group of four to six sharing the same 4x4. If budget is tight, travelling as a small group is the most effective way to enjoy a private tour affordably.
How to save money in Morocco
A few habits stretch a budget a long way. Eat where locals eat — a tagine in a busy café costs a fraction of the same dish in a tourist-facing restaurant. Take the train between the imperial cities rather than flying. Travel in the shoulder or low season, when riad rates drop. And always agree a price before a taxi ride or a souk purchase; gentle bargaining is expected and part of the culture.
Filling your own group for a private tour, rather than booking solo, is the biggest single saving for the kind of trip we run. Beyond that, you don't need to splurge to eat and travel well here — Morocco rewards travellers who lean into the local way of doing things.
Hidden costs to budget for
A realistic budget leaves room for the extras that catch people out: monument and museum entry fees (roughly €1–7 each, and they add up across a city day), tips for guides, drivers and camp staff, bottled water, and the occasional souk treasure you didn't plan to buy. Many desert tours also exclude lunches, so allow a few euros a day for those.
It's also worth carrying some cash. The dirham is a closed currency you exchange or withdraw on arrival, and while cards work in city hotels and larger shops, rural areas, small cafés, tips and the souks are firmly cash-based. ATMs are widespread in cities but scarce once you head into the south.
Frequently asked questions
What currency is used in Morocco?
The Moroccan dirham (MAD). It's a closed currency, so withdraw or exchange on arrival; ATMs are widespread in cities.
Is Morocco cheap or expensive?
It's excellent value compared with Europe. You control the cost: simple travel is very cheap, while private guides and luxury riads add up to a still-reasonable premium.
Official resources
Born beside the dunes of Erg Chebbi and a licensed Moroccan guide since 2008, Elhoussaine founded Visit Maghreb to share the country he grew up in. Over more than 15 years he has guided travellers from every continent across the High Atlas, the imperial cities and the Sahara — and still plans every itinerary personally.
Planning a trip? We design private, tailor-made Morocco tours around exactly this kind of advice. Tell us your dates →
