Moving to Saudi Arabia from Morocco

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Morocco to Saudi Arabia — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Morocco to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 75.7% more expensive than Morocco overall. A MAD730,000 salary in Morocco would need to be roughly SAR495,000 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Riyadh averages 92°F vs 72°F in Casablanca, making it significantly warmer.

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Is Saudi Arabia cheaper than Morocco?

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 32.9% more

Groceries

pay 62.7% more

Transportation

pay 12.5% more

Housing

pay 2.4 times more

Childcare

pay 2.4 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 97.4% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 MAD = 0.3857 SAR (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

What salary do you need in Saudi Arabia?

What does your salary buy?

MAD730,000 → SAR495,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia

Calculate with your salary →

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Saudi Arabia cost about 69% more than cities in Morocco.

Morocco

Meknes 29%
Kenitra 27%
Safi 27%

Saudi Arabia

Mecca 50%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Key Indicator Comparison

How Morocco and Saudi Arabia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

MA
1.7
SA
0.9
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

MA
18.6
SA
18.5

Saudi Arabia performs significantly better than Morocco across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

MA
$606
SA
$3,475
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

MA
7.4
SA
34.1

Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Morocco leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

MA
59.0
SA
91.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

MA
1.8t
SA
18.5t

Morocco performs better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

MA
7.3
SA
44.1
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

MA
50.8%
SA
974.2%

Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Morocco leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

MA
9.0%
SA
3.0%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

MA
$4,672
SA
$34,537

Saudi Arabia performs significantly better than Morocco across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

MA
75.5 yrs
SA
79.0 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

MA
14.7
SA
4.7

Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Morocco leads in education spending.

Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Direction Générale des Impôts, Morocco (2016), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Weather in Saudi Arabia vs Morocco

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Casablanca Rain: 16.1 in/yr (410 mm)
72° / 59°F

Avg. annual high / low

Riyadh Rain: 4.4 in/yr (111 mm)
92° / 64°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Casablanca Riyadh
Jan–Mar 65°/50°F (18°/10°C) 75°/50°F (24°/10°C)
Apr–Jun 73°/61°F (23°/16°C) 101°/72°F (38°/22°C)
Jul–Sep 79°/69°F (26°/20°C) 109°/77°F (43°/25°C)
Oct–Dec 71°/56°F (21°/13°C) 84°/56°F (29°/13°C)
View all months
Month Casablanca Riyadh
Jan 64°/48°F (17.6°/8.9°C) 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C)
Feb 65°/49°F (18.1°/9.7°C) 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C)
Mar 67°/53°F (19.7°/11.6°C) 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C)
Apr 69°/56°F (20.6°/13.3°C) 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C)
May 73°/61°F (22.7°/16.0°C) 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C)
Jun 76°/66°F (24.6°/18.7°C) 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C)
Jul 79°/69°F (26.1°/20.5°C) 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C)
Aug 80°/70°F (26.7°/21.0°C) 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C)
Sep 78°/67°F (25.8°/19.5°C) 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C)
Oct 76°/62°F (24.3°/16.8°C) 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C)
Nov 70°/55°F (21.0°/12.8°C) 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C)
Dec 66°/51°F (18.9°/10.5°C) 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C)

Data: Direction de la Météorologie Nationale Direction de la Météorologie Nationale, National Center for Meteorology National Center for Meteorology

Can you move from Morocco to Saudi Arabia?

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Morocco and Saudi Arabia. To live, work, or study long-term in Saudi Arabia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Saudi Arabia's immigration authority.

Morocco passport

Morocco passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia

Visa Required
Morocco passport holders need a visa to enter Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia passport

Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Morocco

Visa Free
Saudi Arabia passport holders can enter Morocco without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Saudi Arabia than Morocco?

Day-to-day costs in Saudi Arabia run about 76% higher than Morocco on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a MAD730,000 comparable salary, that's around SAR123,750 in Saudi Arabia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?

With 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?

Saudi Arabia performs significantly better than Morocco across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.7 in Morocco.

How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Morocco?

Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Morocco leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 7.4 in Morocco. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Morocco: 69).

What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Morocco?

The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 72°F in Casablanca. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Casablanca gets 16.1 in.

What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?

The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Morocco, the official languages are Arabic and Berber.

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At a Glance

MA SA
Population 38,430,770 36,973,555
Currency Moroccan Dirham (MAD) Saudi Riyal (SAR)
Languages Arabic, Berber Arabic
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +212 +966
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 15 911