Tangier · Neighbourhood analysis
Buying in Malabata, Tangier: what the listings show
Malabata shows a significantly higher asking price per sqm than Downtown Tangier, with a rental market that follows the same hierarchy. Here is what the public listings say, month after month.
Malabata is a residential area of Tangier whose sale and rental listings are tracked every month by Dar Invest. This article presents the indicators drawn from those public listings: asking price per square metre, median surface area, listing duration and estimated gross rental yield. To put these figures in context, a comparison with Downtown Tangier is offered at each stage.
How to read the figures in this article
Two concepts appear throughout every section below.
The price per square metre. The listed price of an apartment is divided by its surface area. A property of 100 sqm listed at 1,000,000 MAD works out to 10,000 MAD per square metre. This unit makes it possible to compare a studio and a large apartment on the same basis, which would be impossible by looking at total prices alone.
The median. This is the value that splits the listings into two equal halves: half the properties are listed above it, the other half below. It holds up better than the average against atypical properties — a single overpriced villa is enough to pull the average upward without moving the median by a single dirham.
Asking prices in Malabata
At the latest reading, September 2026, the median asking price per square metre for an apartment in Malabata stands at 21,288 MAD. Half of the listings retained fall between 16,327 MAD and 28,382 MAD per square metre, which gives a sense of how spread out the market is.
A median apartment in Malabata has a surface area of 110 sqm and is listed at 2,400,000 MAD.
To illustrate the practical effect of the price per square metre: a hypothetical 80 sqm property valued at the neighbourhood median represents a budget obtained by multiplying 21,288 MAD by 80. No specific property matches this calculation exactly, but the order of magnitude is useful for calibrating a search.
| Month | Median price, in MAD/m² |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | 15,714 |
| April 2026 | 18,009 |
| May 2026 | 21,601 |
| June 2026 | 20,662 |
| July 2026 | 24,138 |
| August 2026 | 17,000 |
| September 2026 | 21,288 |
Change over the tracked period: +35.5% since March 2026. The asking price per sqm in Malabata has risen clearly over the window covered by our data.
Malabata and Downtown: a clear price hierarchy
Downtown Tangier concentrates significantly more sale listings than Malabata, making it the most well-represented reference point in the city within our database. Despite this higher volume, its asking price per sqm remains well below that of Malabata.
| Indicator | Malabata | Downtown |
|---|---|---|
| Asking price per sqm | 21,288 MAD | 15,000 MAD |
| Median asking price | 2,400,000 MAD | 1,800,000 MAD |
| Median surface area | 110 sqm | 108 sqm |
| Median listing duration | 0 days | 0 days |
| Listings retained | 82 | 137 |
Table: apartments for sale, public listings, figures as of September 2026.
The median surface areas of the two neighbourhoods are in the same range: no ranking between them is possible on this criterion. The difference in total price between a median property in Malabata and a median property Downtown therefore stems mainly from the difference in price per square metre, not from a difference in apartment size.
The trajectories also diverge: the asking price per sqm has risen clearly in Malabata over the tracked period, while it has declined moderately Downtown. The gap between the two neighbourhoods has therefore shifted over the window covered by our data.
| Month | Median price, in MAD/m² |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | 15,714 |
| April 2026 | 15,470 |
| May 2026 | 15,663 |
| June 2026 | 15,500 |
| July 2026 | 16,036 |
| August 2026 | 15,942 |
| September 2026 | 15,000 |
Listing duration
The median listing duration measures how long a listing remains visible online before disappearing. A short duration indicates that properties leave the platforms quickly. A longer duration generally leaves more room to negotiate.
One important caveat: a listing that disappears is not necessarily a sale. The seller may have withdrawn it, reposted it under a different title, or abandoned it without ever finding a buyer. This indicator tracks market attention, not deeds signed at the notary.
| Month | Median time on market, in days |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | 5 |
| April 2026 | 4 |
| May 2026 | 17 |
| June 2026 | 25 |
| July 2026 | 125 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
At the latest reading, the median listing duration in Malabata is 0 days.
The rental market and estimated gross yield
Rental data make it possible to estimate a gross rental yield, meaning the ratio between annual asking rents and the asking purchase price. An apartment bought for 1,000,000 MAD and rented at 5,000 MAD per month generates 60,000 MAD over the year, equivalent to a 6% gross yield. This calculation ignores taxation, service charges, maintenance costs and vacancy periods: the actual net yield is always lower.
In Malabata, the median asking rent stands at 111 MAD per square metre per month at the latest reading. This level is significantly higher than that of Downtown, where the median rent per sqm is 82 MAD.
Despite this rent hierarchy, the estimated gross rental yield of Malabata and Downtown is in the same range: no reliable ranking between the two neighbourhoods is possible on this criterion. A higher purchase price and a higher rent can produce a comparable ratio.
The asking rent per sqm in Malabata has fallen clearly over the tracked period, while the asking sale price per sqm has risen clearly. These two movements in opposite directions affect the estimated gross yield: it is advisable to consult the current month's data rather than relying on a fixed figure.
| Month | Median price, in MAD/m² |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | 117 |
| April 2026 | 118 |
| May 2026 | 113 |
| June 2026 | 109 |
| July 2026 | 111 |
| August 2026 | 120 |
| September 2026 | 111 |
For an MRE buyer
Morocans living abroad who are considering a purchase in Tangier will find in this data a starting point for calibrating their budget and comparing neighbourhoods. A few practical points to keep in mind.
The volume of listings Downtown is significantly higher than in Malabata. A buyer looking for a wide choice of properties to visit or compare will mechanically have more options in that area.
Malabata shows a significantly higher asking price per sqm, which translates into a higher entry ticket for a comparable surface area. The budget required depends directly on the surface area sought: applying the median price per sqm to the desired surface area gives an order of magnitude, with no guarantee that a specific property will match that calculation.
Listing durations give an indication of potential negotiating room, but they are no substitute for direct knowledge of the local market. An estate agent based on the ground remains the most reliable source for assessing the usual gap between asking price and signed price.
This article does not constitute tax or legal advice. The rules applicable to property acquisitions by non-resident Moroccans are a matter for qualified professionals.
What these figures do not resolve
Three limitations must be acknowledged before drawing any purchase decision from this data.
Prices are asking prices, never transaction prices. All values in this article come from public listings. They reflect what sellers hope to obtain, not what buyers actually pay. The negotiation gap does not appear anywhere here.
Neighbourhoods are not homogeneous. "Malabata" and "Downtown" each cover several pockets where prices can differ significantly from the median. A specific property may therefore fall well outside the values cited in this article.
The gross yield is a partial estimate. It takes no account of taxation, co-ownership charges, maintenance costs or vacancy periods. The actual net yield is always lower than the gross figure.
Figures as of September 2026.