Living in Rabat: An Expat Guide

Rabat is the capital, and it feels like one in a quiet way: ministries, embassies, universities and international organisations, wide avenues, a long Atlantic seafront, and a pace noticeably calmer than Casablanca’s. For people who live here rather than pass through, that is the point. It is a city where you can build an ordinary routine: a regular café, a walk to the market, a tram to work.

Many foreigners arrive for a job, with a government, embassy, NGO or international organisation, and a good number stay longer than planned. The foreign community is smaller than in Casablanca or Marrakech, so there is less of a ready-made bubble, and daily life tends to happen alongside Moroccan neighbours rather than apart from them.

Who it suits: people who want a liveable, well-organised city with good schools and services and do not need constant nightlife or a tourist buzz. Who it may not: anyone who wants the energy of Casablanca or the constant new faces of Marrakech.

Neighbourhoods

Agdal is where many working foreigners start: leafy streets, plenty of cafés, restaurants and bakeries, shops for daily errands, and a main railway station. It is mixed, lively without being hectic, and easy to live in without a car.

Hassan is central and administrative, around the ministries and the Hassan Tower. Océan, towards the sea, and the areas near the medina have older buildings, often at lower rents, with the character and the maintenance quirks that come with them.

Souissi and Hay Riad, in the south, are greener and more spread out. Souissi is known for villas and embassy residences; Hay Riad is a newer, planned district of apartments, houses and offices. Both are popular with families, close to several schools, and more car-dependent.

Rents vary a great deal between and within these areas, so check current listings for the exact streets you are considering. The renting guide covers leases, deposits and what to check before you sign.

Everyday life

Central Rabat, especially Agdal and the streets around the centre, is walkable for daily errands. Fresh produce is cheapest at the markets, including the busy one by Bab El Had at the edge of the medina, and in neighbourhood shops; supermarkets such as Marjane and Carrefour cover imported goods and bulk shopping.

Who supplies water and electricity depends on your address. SRM Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, the regional company set up in June 2025, covers the region except the area covered by Redal’s delegated-management contract, where Redal remains the operator. Redal lists customer agencies in Rabat and Salé, so check which of the two serves your address before opening an account; our utilities guide covers setting up accounts. Banks, clinics and pharmacies are easy to find in the central districts, and the diplomatic presence means a good choice of doctors and schools used to foreign families.

Like much of Morocco, daily life runs in more than one language. Darija is the language of the street, French is widely used in administration, business and many shops, and you will hear Amazigh languages too. English is less common in everyday transactions, though you will find it among younger professionals and in the international community. A little French or Darija makes errands, officials and neighbours much easier.

Getting around

The tramway links Rabat and Salé across the Bou Regreg river, and with buses and petits taxis it covers most daily journeys. Many central residents manage without a car.

For travel further afield, Rabat has two main stations, Rabat-Ville and Rabat-Agdal, with frequent trains to Casablanca, including the TNR shuttle and the Al Boraq high-speed service, which continues north to Tangier. Direct trains also run to Fès and other cities. Journey times depend on the service, so check the current ONCF timetable; our guide to getting around Morocco covers the network.

Rabat-Salé airport (RBA) has a smaller range of routes. Many long-haul journeys go through Casablanca’s Mohammed V airport (CMN), so allow for the transfer when you plan.

Schools

Rabat American School follows a US curriculum and offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma, from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. Places can be limited, so apply well before a planned move.

Lycée Descartes, run directly by France’s AEFE network, is the anchor of the French-curriculum schools in the Rabat area, which together cover primary through the French baccalauréat.

École Belge de Rabat, in Hay Riad, has been open since 2018 and added a secondary section in 2021. It teaches the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles curriculum in French, leading to the CEB and CESS certificates. It is the Rabat half of a two-campus network, the other being École Belge de Casablanca, so a move between the two cities does not mean changing curriculum. Confirm how far its secondary cycle currently runs before planning around it. Our international schools guide covers the trade-offs of a French-medium school for an English-speaking child.

Social life

Rabat’s foreign community is smaller and more work-centred than Marrakech’s or Casablanca’s: diplomatic staff, people at international organisations and NGOs, academics and teachers make up much of it. Embassies, cultural institutes, schools and clubs are common ways in, and so are sport, language classes and volunteering, which also bring you into contact with Moroccan residents.

The city is quieter at night than Casablanca and less geared to visitors than Marrakech. What it offers instead is the Atlantic seafront, the Kasbah des Oudayas and the gardens and cafés around it, museums including the national museum of modern and contemporary art, and a calm that many residents come to value.