Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fes

For one person, living is cheaper in Fes: $675 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Fes
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Fes Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Fes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $675 in Fes.

Barcelona $2,399
Fes $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,042 in Fes.

Barcelona $3,410
Fes $1,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $1,408 in Fes.

Barcelona $4,421
Fes $1,408

Living in Barcelona is roughly 255% more expensive than in Fes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Fes is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.04 MAD 29.68

490.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$31.52 MAD 307

115.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$6.09 MAD 59.4

118.06%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.31 MAD 12.82

148.09%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.54 MAD 5.31

457.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.38 MAD 3.75

392.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.67 MAD 35.81

4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.20 MAD 40.98

6.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.79 MAD 7.72

63.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.54 MAD 5.26

277.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.74 MAD 16.99

-1.15%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.87 MAD 18.27

155.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.74 MAD 95.0

72.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$4.44 MAD 43.30

101.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$9.50 MAD 92.6

109.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.89 MAD 18.46

57.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.57 MAD 15.31

29.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.08 MAD 10.53

152.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.05 MAD 10.21

155.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.91 MAD 8.89

130.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.05 MAD 10.27

98.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.48 MAD 4.70

202.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.57 MAD 5.51

56.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$4.31 MAD 41.98

61.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$4.52 MAD 44.08

72.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.67 MAD 26.07

-45.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.16 MAD 30.85

-18.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.39 MAD 3.83

666.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$10.14 MAD 98.9

148.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.64 MAD 6.24

387.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.75 MAD 7.28

92.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.44 MAD 14.00

24.31%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.9K MAD 339.9K

-0.66%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$34.5K MAD 336.5K

-12.87%

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

$178 €158

$32.49 MAD 317

447.40%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$10.33 MAD 101

28.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$35.45 MAD 346

-1.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$26.35 MAD 257

102.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$19.30 MAD 188

-17.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$5.03 MAD 49.00

119.88%

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

$957 €851

$94.6 MAD 922

911.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$6,313 MAD 61.6K

162.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$19.29 MAD 188

357.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$52.4 MAD 511

-24.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$81.8 MAD 797

25.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$56.7 MAD 552

114.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$313 MAD 3,050

428.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$183 MAD 1,782

612.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$539 MAD 5,252

374.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$249 MAD 2,431

667.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$724 MAD 7,062

905.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$342 MAD 3,333

1386.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$483 MAD 4,709

372.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-34.40%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Fes: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Fes

$183 27.1% 86% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Fes

$178 26.4% 44.3% $142

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Fes

$89 13.2% 67.1% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Fes

$78 11.6% 65.4% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Fes

$95 14% 40.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Fes

$36 5.4% 51.7% $39

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Fes

$16 2.4% 66.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $313 in Fes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 372% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $32.00 in Fes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $178 per month, with Fes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇦 Fes

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,167,842

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Fes 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Fes

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 Fes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Fes differ by about 255% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $675 including rent). Fes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 372% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $313 in Fes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $94.6 in Fes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $675 in Fes versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fes but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Fes 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 Fes 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 Fes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.