House painting cost per m² in Morocco in 2026 (interior, facade, labour)

By Yassine AT-TARASSI, architect · Updated on 23/10/2026 · Reference texts (4)

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Repainting a flat, finishing a new villa, handing over a building or a school: here is what painting costs in Morocco in October 2026, per m² painted, materials and labour included, according to the CITURBAREA cost simulator and the materials library surveys. Written for Moroccans abroad, foreign owners and developers.

Disclaimer: published costs are indicative outputs of the CITURBAREA estimator (October 2026 version), not binding quotations, technical designs or compliance certificates. Apartment buildings and public-use facilities require project-specific drawings, specialist studies, applicable regulations and contractor quotations.

How much does painting cost per m² in Morocco in 2026?

A contractor's selling prices excluding VAT per m² of painted surface (walls or ceilings), materials, labour, overheads and margin included, with the simulator's low-high range. The jobbing-builder column is for materials bought by you and labour paid to a painter.

Method note: CITURBAREA simulator, reference prices version 2026-10, computed on 23/10/2026, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra base (coefficient 1.00), prices rounded to 5 DH (the washable range is a few dirhams above economy before rounding). Incl. VAT = excl. VAT × 1.20 for a VAT-registered contractor; with a jobbing builder, VAT depends on the provider's tax status, which the quote must state. Paints and fillers: October 2026 public prices, presumed to include VAT and converted (assumption); painter's rate: June 2025 survey. The economy range was cross-checked against a market range of 30 to 60 DH/m² supplied and applied.

Rounding: amounts excluding and including VAT and quantities are each shown after rounding, so the product of the visible values may differ from the total by a few dirhams. Contract calculations must start from unrounded quantities and unit prices.

Example: for 300 m² of walls and ceilings to paint (to be measured on your plan; it is not the living area), allow about 14,000 DH excl. VAT in the economy range, 16,000 DH washable and 24,000 DH premium, with a contractor. For your project, the cost simulator works out the areas from the plan and finish level.

What the price includes, and what it excludes

• Included: skim coat (one pass, two at premium), primer, two finishing coats, labour, overheads and margin, on a sound new substrate.
• Priced separately: crack filling, sanding of old paint, damp treatment, painting of joinery and metalwork, decorative effects.
• Excluded: facade scaffolding beyond the simulator scope, render repairs, protecting furniture in an occupied home, deep end-of-works cleaning.

How much does a painter's labour cost per m²?

A market survey published on 27/02/2026 (low reliability) puts labour-only painting at 25 DH/m² for ordinary work, 30 to 35 DH/m² for average work and 40 to 45 DH/m² for professional work, VAT not stated. The CITURBAREA simulator uses a painter's day rate of 200 to 300 DH (June 2025 survey, to be updated), plus social charges with a registered contractor. Preparation (filling, sanding, skim coat) often weighs more than the paint itself: a serious quote itemises it.

How much do paints and fillers cost on their own?

Displayed public prices surveyed by the CITURBAREA materials library on 23/10/2026:

Method note: CITURBAREA materials library, survey of 23/10/2026; some sites state VAT included, others nothing. VAT treatment not confirmed; not directly comparable with an applied price excluding VAT.

To compare brands, ranges and supplier prices, open the materials library (free account): CITURBAREA puts suppliers in competition there.

For a house or a villa

Example computed with the CITURBAREA simulator (MAISON typology, version 2026-10, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra base, contractor, computed on 23/10/2026): a 150 m² two-storey house at mid-range has about 554 m² to paint (rendered walls minus tiling, plus ceilings). In washable vinyl, the interior painting package comes to about 29,000 DH excl. VAT (21,000 to 39,000 DH), i.e. about 3% of the estimated construction cost excl. VAT (about 981,000 DH). A 250 m² upper mid-range villa (VILLA typology) has about 914 m² painted in premium acrylic on a two-pass skim coat: about 73,000 DH excl. VAT (53,000 to 100,000 DH).

For a private owner, a Moroccan abroad or a renovation, the next step is a cost estimate of your plan, then a video call to choose ranges and colours.

For a development building

R+4 apartment building: a feasibility estimate, not a bill of quantities. The amounts shown come from a simulation scenario (1,200 m², 11 flats, Kénitra, parameters of 23/10/2026). Before any investment decision, the client needs a fixed brief, a preliminary take-off per trade, soil and structural studies, utility connection conditions and the requirements of the competent services, a contingency allowance and comparable quotations. Items already included in one package must not be added a second time.

Example computed with the simulator (IMMEUBLE typology, same conditions): a 1,200 m² five-level building (ground + 4) with 11 flats at mid-range has about 3,730 m² to paint in the flats and 225 m² in common areas (assumption). The interior painting package comes to about 207,000 DH excl. VAT (152,000 to 278,000 DH), i.e. about 19,000 DH per flat and about 3% of the estimated construction cost excl. VAT (about 7,161,000 DH).

In development, painting comes down to three points: one range and one base colour for the whole building, handed over with a colour chart for touch-ups; tougher washable paint in common areas, where wear shows first; and a programme that lets fillers dry before the last coat, otherwise snagging at handover multiplies. CITURBAREA prepares the feasibility study, development appraisal and bill of quantities for your scheme.

Developers: have the economic feasibility of your plot analysed: saleable areas, common parts, parking options, structure, utility connections, forecast cost per package and permit risks. Ask for an initial scoping review; detailed studies and costings are covered by a contractually defined assignment.

For a facility (school, clinic, hotel, shop)

Schools, clinics, hotels, shops and warehouses: requirements vary. Fire safety, accessibility, sanitary facilities, ventilation, operational safety and permits depend on the precise use, the number of occupants, floor areas, number of storeys and the activity. Regulatory references must be checked for the project concerned. The CITURBAREA simulator offers an indicative estimate by type of building open to the public (school or nursery, clinic or medical practice, hotel or riad, shop, offices, warehouse or workshop), based on a standard brief and on price and ratio assumptions still to be confirmed: no ratio is a quotation for this kind of project.

This guide gives no amount for this package: the simulator's ERP estimate rests on a standard brief and on assumptions still to be confirmed. Per-m² prices remain a basis, but the specification changes:

• Clinic, medical practice: washable paints resistant to disinfectants, satin or treatment-room finishes; the wet-scrub resistance class (NM EN 13300) is set in the specification.
• School, nursery: very resistant or protected dados in corridors, colours and maintenance planned for intensive use.
• Hotel, riad: decorative effects, tadelakt or stucco in common areas, washable paint in rooms for touch-ups between seasons.
• Shop: short deadlines, night or phased work to avoid closing, brand colours.
• Warehouse, workshop: floor paints and steel-structure coatings use specific systems (anti-corrosion), outside this guide.

In a building open to the public, the reaction to fire of wall finishes falls under the fire safety regulation (decree no. 2-14-499): the requirement depends on the type of establishment and is checked with the technical inspection office.

Facility owners: ask for a brief scoping review before any costing: capacity, flows and operation, security and fire safety, maintenance, technical needs, permits and overall operating cost. A specific consultation will determine which studies to commission. For a first order of magnitude, run the simulator's ERP costing, then book a brief scoping appointment.

Which paint for which room and finish level?

• Living room and bedrooms: matt vinyl at economy; good-quality matt acrylic on a two-pass skim coat at upper levels.
• Kitchen, bathroom, corridors: washable or satin paint that withstands washing and humidity.
• Ceilings: matt paint, which hides flatness defects.
• Joinery and metalwork: gloss or alkyd paint on a suitable undercoat.
• Facades: facade vinyl at economy; siloxane or a tougher coating by the sea and at upper levels.

The CITURBAREA price study of 10/10/2026 puts the interior painting package, per m² of floor area (excl. VAT, supplied and applied, rebuilt from market sources), at about 70 DH/m² at very low cost, 110 economy, 160 mid-range, 200 upper mid-range, 280 high-end and 420 luxury. The same study notes a more than twofold gap between sources: this item should be priced on measured quantities.

How is painting done properly?

1. Dry substrate: new cement render must dry before painting; moisture makes paint blister.
2. Preparation: filling, sanding, skim coat in one or two passes depending on the finish expected.
3. Primer: a primer suited to the substrate.
4. Finish: two crossed coats, respecting the drying time stated by the manufacturer.
5. Protection: floors, joinery and fittings protected; cleaning at the end of the works.

Which standards apply to paint in Morocco?

The Ministry of Industry and Trade's list of mandatory standards (update of 09/03/2026) cites several paint standards, all in force since 15/08/2025: NM 03.3.124 (2021 edition, paint fillers for interior and exterior work, decision no. 2533-21), NM 03.3.318 (2023 edition, requirements and heavy-metal content, tests and labelling, decision no. 868-23), NM 03.3.255 (2022 edition, finishing paints for dry rooms, interior work) and NM 03.3.256 (2022 edition, finishing paints for wet rooms, interior work). They cover products placed on the market: ask the supplier for the conformity of the reference you buy. CITURBAREA's catalogue still listed a 2020 "lead limit" edition for NM 03.3.318: the 2026 list prevails. Approved standards, applied when the contract cites them: NM EN 13300 (classification of water-borne interior paints), NM EN 1062-1 (facade paints), NM 03.3.142, NM 03.3.143 and NM 03.3.144 (painting works: technical clauses, choice of materials, administrative clauses) and NM 10.8.751 (special clauses). The French rule NF DTU 59.1 is a foreign reference, contractual only if the specification (CPS) cites it. These standards are paid documents: only their reference and subject are given.

Which mistakes to avoid, and what does the architect check?

• Painting too early on damp render: blisters, stains and mould.
• Skipping the skim coat to save time: wall defects stay visible.
• One coat instead of two, or paint thinned beyond the instructions.
• Non-washable paint in the kitchen or bathroom.
• A lump-sum quote without areas: ask for measured walls and ceilings, range and brand, VAT. See the quote example.

The architect approves range and colour on a sample painted in place, checks the substrate is dry before the first coat, then inspects appearance under raking light, junctions and corners at handover. For a mission including interior design, CITURBAREA's fees are 8% of the works cost (5% without).

What makes painting prices vary?

• the substrate condition: new, to be repaired, cracked, damp;
• the paint range and the number of skim-coat passes;
• wall height and scaffolding, especially on facades;
• decorative finishes (effects, stucco, tadelakt, see the zellige, wall tile and tadelakt guide);
• the way the work is procured and the city.

For the overall budget, see the house construction cost per m² and the false ceiling cost.

How to price your painting?

Ranges and colours are chosen in place, in daylight: book a video meeting with the architect to set the range for each room and the measured areas to be priced, then compare offers from contractors and suppliers put in competition by CITURBAREA.

Frequently asked questions