Dakar vs Marrakech
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Marrakech edges it, 43 to 30, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Dakar is stronger on nothing outright; Marrakech on air quality, quality of life, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 54 |
| Safety | 48 | 63 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 41 | 59 ✓ |
| Internet | 22 | 28 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 | 46 |
| Getting there & around | 14 | 27 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 ✓ | 42 |
| Air quality | 0 | 27 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 15 | 42 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,354 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $483 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 7.9 | 1.5 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 ✓ | 58.4 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 65 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 67.8 yrs | 72.6 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.5 Mbps | 10.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.8 Mbps ✓ | 0.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 31 | 118 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dakar | Marrakech |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 ✓ | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 53.1 µg/m³ | 38 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dakar or Marrakech?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Dakar or Marrakech safer?
- Marrakech scores higher on safety (63 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dakar or Marrakech?
- Marrakech: a measured median of 10.1 Mbps versus 5.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.