Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Casablanca

For one person, living is cheaper in Casablanca: $977 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Casablanca
🇲🇦 Morocco
$977
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Casablanca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Casablanca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $977 in Casablanca.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Casablanca $977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,525 in Casablanca.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Casablanca $1,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,074 in Casablanca.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Casablanca $2,074

Living in Barcelona is roughly 144% more expensive than in Casablanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Casablanca is 28% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$4.80 MAD 46.77
272.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$33.06 MAD 322
100.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$8.04 MAD 78.4
70.27%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$1.96 MAD 19.15
56.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$1.08 MAD 10.51
184.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$0.64 MAD 6.24
203.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$4.14 MAD 40.33
-6.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$5.74 MAD 56.0
-19.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$0.97 MAD 9.46
34.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$0.83 MAD 8.13
153.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$1.89 MAD 18.43
-3.17%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$1.89 MAD 18.47
144.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$11.10 MAD 108
56.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$7.20 MAD 70.2
28.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$11.76 MAD 115
68.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$1.63 MAD 15.93
84.66%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.56 MAD 15.22
30.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$0.79 MAD 7.74
235.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$0.76 MAD 7.42
277.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$0.62 MAD 6.08
248.39%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$0.65 MAD 6.37
230.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.49 MAD 4.81
200.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.50 MAD 4.86
76.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$4.11 MAD 40.11
68.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$8.18 MAD 79.7
-4.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$2.29 MAD 22.36
-39.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$3.05 MAD 29.75
-13.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$0.84 MAD 8.20
246.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$25.29 MAD 247
0.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$0.86 MAD 8.39
248.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$0.30 MAD 2.89
380.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$4.56 MAD 44.43
628.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.51 MAD 14.76
23.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$30.8K MAD 300.3K
5.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$31.2K MAD 304.0K
1.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$51.0 MAD 497
258.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$9.96 MAD 97.1
36.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$41.12 MAD 401
-19.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$32.46 MAD 316
68.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
$21.00 MAD 205
-21.33%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$7.57 MAD 73.8
48.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$572 MAD 5,577
66.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$5,556 MAD 54.2K
198.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$59.2 MAD 577
45.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$44.48 MAD 434
-12.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$94.0 MAD 917
10.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$60.1 MAD 586
97.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$595 MAD 5,804
184.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$347 MAD 3,386
267.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,105 MAD 10.8K
133.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$645 MAD 6,289
198.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$2,214 MAD 21.6K
228.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$1,238 MAD 12.1K
304.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Casablanca
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
$670 MAD 6,536
232.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
4.83
-32.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Casablanca: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Casablanca
$347 72.8% $929
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Casablanca
$207 36.2% $118
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Casablanca
$125 53.6% $144
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Casablanca
$102 55.5% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Casablanca
$116 25.8% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Casablanca
$48 38.3% $30
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Casablanca
$31 34.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $595 in Casablanca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 232% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $33.00 in Casablanca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $207 per month, with Casablanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇲🇦 Casablanca
🕒 Local time
14:32 2:32 PM
13:32 1:32 PM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
3,215,935
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Casablanca 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Casablanca

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Barcelona vs Casablanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Casablanca?
Barcelona and Casablanca differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $977 including rent). Casablanca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Casablanca?
Average pay runs 232% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Casablanca?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $595 in Casablanca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Casablanca?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $572 in Casablanca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $977 in Casablanca versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Casablanca but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Casablanca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Casablanca?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Barcelona or Casablanca safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Casablanca are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Casablanca?
Expats usually find Casablanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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