Tangier, Marrakech, Casablanca: Young people are beginning to feel suffocated by housing costs

The finding is clear. In 2026, only 59 % of young people surveyed in Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier said they could afford their housing expenses without particular difficulty. A year earlier, the figure was still 68 %.

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These figures come from the report “Morocco: Socio-Economic Survey 2026,” published on July 13 by the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum. The survey was conducted between January and March among 600 people aged 16 to 35: 203 in Casablanca, 209 in Marrakech and 188 in Tangier.

The situation has deteriorated most among those who are just managing to balance their budgets. Their proportion rose from 17 % in 2025 to 25 % this year. In addition, 12 % of respondents said they were experiencing great difficulty paying for their housing, while 3 % could no longer manage to do so at all.

The expenses taken into account concern more than just rent. They also include electricity, water and other housing-related costs.

In Tangier, only 52 % are managing without difficulty

It is in Tangier that the pressure appears strongest. Only 52 % of the young people surveyed said they could pay their housing expenses without difficulty, compared with 58 % in Marrakech and 67 % in Casablanca.

In Tangier, 30 % now say they are just managing to cover these expenses. The figure is 25 % in Marrakech and 20 % in Casablanca.

The city on the Strait also has 15 % of young people saying they have great difficulty paying for their housing, compared with 11 % in Marrakech and Casablanca. Marrakech, however, has the highest proportion of people saying they can no longer meet these expenses at all: 5 %, compared with 3 % in Tangier.

Housing stands out all the more because other indicators in the survey are moving in the opposite direction. The proportion of households surveyed saying they have enough money to buy food rose from 67 % to 70 % in one year. Permanent access to drinking water also increased, from 90 % to 93 %.

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However, the study does not make it possible to extend these results to all young Moroccans. It concerns only 600 people aged 16 to 35 living in Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier. Nevertheless, it highlights a marked deterioration in their ability to cope with housing expenses in just one year.