Casablanca - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
This is a modern city. You can go to small markets, outdoor bazaars, or very European grocery stores to buy familiar or equivalent supplies you want to get. - Sep 2022
Apartment downtown or Villa in the suburb. Commute time can be up to 30 minutes from the suburb to downtown at peek hours. The traffic is hectic, most people do not follow driving rules much. - Jun 2021
There are two types of housing in Morocco. Apartments close to the consulate (walking distance), and villas approximately 20-30 minutes away from the consulate. (Traffic is so bad that it takes 20-30 mins to get to the villas.) Villas have issues with ants and roaches where the apartments don't have as many issues with insects. Villas have small yards in the back. The apartments are a little noisy at times being in downtown Casablanca. You hear cars honking and people walking by outside where the villas are a little quieter. We chose to live in a villa but looking back, due to the horrible traffic, I wish we had chosen to live in an apartment. The traffic is so stressful with people not following traffic laws that it would have been a much less stressful experience at post had we chosen to live in an apartment close to the consulate. - Feb 2016
Two sets of housing: 1) apartments downtown for singles/young couples, 5-10 min walk to the consulate, lots of restaurants, grocery stores within 10-15 min walk. Neighbors tend to be wealthier Moroccans who seem confused about apartment living (want you to be quiet but have no problems having a party until 1 am). 2) houses in one of the suburbs near the beach for families with school-aged children, 30-45 min drive - Jul 2014
Two options: big apartments near the Consulate (walkable) or villas near the ocean in urban suburbs (commute is 20-40 minutes depending on traffic). All are fairly old with insect issues and not so great construction. - May 2014
Apartments close to work or villas five to seven kms away. - Jun 2012
Fabulous large villas with walled in yards (I even have a pool!) outside of the city, large apartments inside the city. The villas can be upwards of 40 minutes from work during rush hour traffic, but my commute is right long the Atlantic and I don't mind the drive. Apartments are usually within walking distance to the Consulate. We live very well here. - Apr 2010
Large and spacious apartments near the Consulate for singles or married employees and villas with small yards near the ocean for employees with families. Shanty towns exist throughout the city, even in the nicer parts of town. Most families in villas live within a short walk to a shanty town. - Mar 2008
