Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Laayoune

For one person, living is cheaper in Laayoune: $117 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Laayoune

🇪🇭 Western Sahara

$117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Laayoune

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $117 in Laayoune.

Barcelona $2,443
Laayoune $117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $170 in Laayoune.

Barcelona $3,519
Laayoune $170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $223 in Laayoune.

Barcelona $4,595
Laayoune $223

Living in Barcelona is roughly 1988% more expensive than in Laayoune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Laayoune is 91% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$4.09 MAD 39.95

331.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$3.33 MAD 32.56

308.71%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$2.00 MAD 19.59

55.00%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$0.39 MAD 3.81

669.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$0.30 MAD 2.92

543.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$0.68 MAD 6.69

386.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$0.69 MAD 6.74

346.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.68 MAD 6.63

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.35 MAD 13.16

38.52%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

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

$31.9K €28.4K

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

$183 €162

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

$14.24 €12.65

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$20.06 MAD 196

72.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

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

$944 €838

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$45.77 MAD 447

91.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Laayoune: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Laayoune

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Laayoune

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Laayoune

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Laayoune

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Laayoune

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Laayoune

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Laayoune

–

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇭 Laayoune

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

196,331 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 MAD = 10.23 USD

100 MAD = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 9.77 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Laayoune 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Laayoune

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 Laayoune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $117 in Laayoune, so Laayoune is about 95% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $175 in Laayoune to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

At $117 in Laayoune versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Laayoune but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Laayoune 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 Laayoune are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.