Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ouarzazate

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouarzazate: $706 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ouarzazate
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Ouarzazate Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ouarzazate

🇲🇦 Morocco

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ouarzazate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $706 in Ouarzazate.

Barcelona $2,453
Ouarzazate $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,099 in Ouarzazate.

Barcelona $3,509
Ouarzazate $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,492 in Ouarzazate.

Barcelona $4,564
Ouarzazate $1,492

Living in Barcelona is roughly 247% more expensive than in Ouarzazate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Ouarzazate is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$3.93 MAD 38.58

347.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$30.65 MAD 301

120.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$6.02 MAD 59.2

124.75%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.47 MAD 24.29

29.15%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.56 MAD 5.46

419.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.37 MAD 3.60

410.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.56 MAD 64.5

-38.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.58 MAD 54.8

-18.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.80 MAD 7.81

63.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.85 MAD 8.38

137.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.47 MAD 14.43

25.85%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.52 MAD 14.95

217.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$7.64 MAD 75.1

119.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.45 MAD 43.69

104.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$11.29 MAD 111

73.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$0.74 MAD 7.32

302.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.26 MAD 12.34

60.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$0.64 MAD 6.25

321.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.72 MAD 7.03

288.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.66 MAD 6.45

216.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.75 MAD 7.38

176.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.23 MAD 2.26

534.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.61 MAD 5.97

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.99 MAD 39.23

72.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.68 MAD 75.5

2.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.23 MAD 21.92

-36.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.38 MAD 33.27

-24.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.50 MAD 4.94

528.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$18.66 MAD 183

36.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.53 MAD 5.19

464.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.62 MAD 6.10

140.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$7.09 MAD 69.7

370.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.41 MAD 13.84

27.66%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$30.1K MAD 296.4K

10.09%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$30.9K MAD 303.6K

2.62%

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

$180 €162

$35.09 MAD 345

414.14%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$4.96 MAD 48.75

179.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$25.40 MAD 250

32.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$25.27 MAD 248

103.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$17.98 MAD 177

-11.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$6.41 MAD 63.0

71.45%

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

$917 €821

$98.6 MAD 969

829.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,270 MAD 81.3K

99.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$31.20 MAD 307

178.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$43.88 MAD 431

-12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$80.4 MAD 790

31.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$79.7 MAD 783

50.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$278 MAD 2,730

511.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$176 MAD 1,732

669.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$519 MAD 5,105

401.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$265 MAD 2,606

678.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,196 MAD 11.8K

478.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$828 MAD 8,134

519.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$201 MAD 1,979

998.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.5

-27.11%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ouarzazate: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ouarzazate

$176 24.9% 87% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ouarzazate

$170 24% 47.2% $152

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ouarzazate

$127 17.9% 52.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ouarzazate

$65 9.3% 71.3% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ouarzazate

$106 15% 33% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ouarzazate

$38 5.4% 48.2% $35

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ouarzazate

$24 3.4% 49.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $278 in Ouarzazate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $31 in Ouarzazate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $170 per month, with Ouarzazate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇦 Ouarzazate

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

71,067

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ouarzazate 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ouarzazate

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 Ouarzazate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $706 in Ouarzazate, so Ouarzazate is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 11 times higher, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $278 in Ouarzazate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $99 in Ouarzazate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $706 in Ouarzazate versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ouarzazate but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ouarzazate 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 Ouarzazate are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ouarzazate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.