Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Essaouira

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $781 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Essaouira

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 Essaouira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $781 in Essaouira.

Barcelona $2,381
Essaouira $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,172 in Essaouira.

Barcelona $3,406
Essaouira $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,563 in Essaouira.

Barcelona $4,431
Essaouira $1,563

Living in Barcelona is roughly 205% more expensive than in Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Essaouira is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$4.52 MAD 44.11

295.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$18.78 MAD 183

252.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.36 MAD 71.8

86.01%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.33 MAD 12.92

130.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.73

$0.46 MAD 4.49

567.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.37 MAD 3.64

424.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.39 MAD 42.83

5.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.91 MAD 8.87

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.52 MAD 5.08

303.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.67 MAD 16.33

9.58%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.62 MAD 15.76

185.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.12 MAD 79.1

113.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.92 MAD 57.8

56.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.67 MAD 104

85.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.28 MAD 12.50

135.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.17 MAD 11.45

73.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.66 MAD 6.45

301.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.77 MAD 7.48

272.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.58 MAD 5.67

272.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.70 MAD 6.79

207.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.35 MAD 3.41

320.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.59 MAD 5.72

49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.85 MAD 37.58

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.98 MAD 58.3

30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.70 MAD 16.58

-18.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.09 MAD 20.34

25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.85 MAD 8.32

242.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.62 MAD 6.09

383.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.64 MAD 6.23

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.48 MAD 14.46

25.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.3K €28.8K

$31.0K MAD 302.6K

4.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K €28.2K

$32.1K MAD 313.0K

-1.25%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$183 €163

$24.14 MAD 235

657.08%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.61 €12.11

$16.96 MAD 165

-19.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$29.95 MAD 292

9.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.10 MAD 49.70

120.20%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$954 €849

$67.8 MAD 661

1307.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$1,803 MAD 17.6K

820.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$29.33 MAD 286

193.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$42.93 MAD 419

-8.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$59.1 MAD 576

75.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$40.42 MAD 394

193.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$386 MAD 3,760

339.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$334 MAD 3,259

281.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$913 MAD 8,905

182.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$569 MAD 5,547

237.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$254 MAD 2,479

775.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.5

-49.54%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Essaouira

$334 42.8% 73.8% $942

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Essaouira

$170 21.7% 47.8% $155

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Essaouira

$112 14.3% 58.5% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 69% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Essaouira

$77 9.9% 50.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Essaouira

$10 * 1.3% 86.8% $67

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Essaouira

$7.2 * 0.9% 84.7% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $386 in Essaouira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 776% 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 $19.00 in Essaouira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $170 per month, with Essaouira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

77,966

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Essaouira 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Essaouira

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 Essaouira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Essaouira differ by about 205% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $781 including rent). Essaouira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 776% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $386 in Essaouira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $67.8 in Essaouira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Essaouira – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $781 in Essaouira versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Essaouira but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Essaouira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Essaouira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Essaouira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 205% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.