Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oued Zem

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $751 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
Learn more

Oued Zem Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Oued Zem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $751 in Oued Zem.

Barcelona $2,453
Oued Zem $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,196 in Oued Zem.

Barcelona $3,509
Oued Zem $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,640 in Oued Zem.

Barcelona $4,564
Oued Zem $1,640

Living in Barcelona is roughly 227% more expensive than in Oued Zem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Oued Zem is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$4.18 MAD 41.10

320.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$41.10 MAD 404

64.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.11 MAD 69.9

90.30%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.93 MAD 19.00

65.28%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.57 MAD 5.58

410.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.36 MAD 3.57

425.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.95 MAD 48.66

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.19 MAD 31.40

42.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.82 MAD 8.03

59.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.61 MAD 5.95

231.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.85 MAD 18.17

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$1.95 MAD 19.14

147.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$11.22 MAD 110

49.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.67 MAD 65.5

36.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$11.88 MAD 117

65.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.60 MAD 15.77

86.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.42 MAD 13.97

42.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$0.89 MAD 8.75

203.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.82 MAD 8.07

241.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.71 MAD 7.02

194.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.79 MAD 7.73

162.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.39 MAD 3.85

274.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.61 MAD 5.96

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$4.23 MAD 41.55

62.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.23 MAD 71.1

9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.56 MAD 25.21

-44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.58 MAD 25.40

-1.55%

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

$19.08 MAD 188

33.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.73 MAD 7.18

309.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.75 MAD 7.35

98.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$3.95 MAD 38.87

744.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.50 MAD 14.74

20.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.9K MAD 293.9K

11.01%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$32.7K MAD 321.9K

-3.20%

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

$180 €162

$36.51 MAD 359

394.14%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$9.90 MAD 97.3

39.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$33.95 MAD 334

-0.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$22.75 MAD 224

126.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$19.10 MAD 188

-16.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$6.24 MAD 61.3

76.12%

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

$917 €821

$181 MAD 1,776

407.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,550 MAD 93.9K

72.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$47.28 MAD 465

84.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$39.31 MAD 386

-2.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$91.6 MAD 900

15.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$66.5 MAD 654

79.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$314 MAD 3,090

440.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$185 MAD 1,821

631.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$476 MAD 4,677

446.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$283 MAD 2,783

628.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,129 MAD 11.1K

512.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$874 MAD 8,590

486.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$230 MAD 2,260

861.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.55

-27.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oued Zem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Oued Zem

$185 24.7% 86.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Oued Zem

$201 26.8% 37.5% $121

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Oued Zem

$113 15% 57.9% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Oued Zem

$80 10.7% 64.7% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Oued Zem

$110 14.7% 30.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Oued Zem

$35 4.7% 52.1% $38

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Oued Zem

$26 3.4% 47.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $314 in Oued Zem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $41 in Oued Zem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $201 per month, with Oued Zem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

23:12 11:12 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

95,267

💱 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 Oued Zem 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Oued Zem

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 Oued Zem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $751 in Oued Zem, so Oued Zem is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 9.6 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 $314 in Oued Zem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $181 in Oued Zem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $751 in Oued Zem versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Oued Zem but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Oued Zem 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 Oued Zem are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Oued Zem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.