Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $921 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $921 in Rabat.

Barcelona $2,453
Rabat $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,498 in Rabat.

Barcelona $3,509
Rabat $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,074 in Rabat.

Barcelona $4,564
Rabat $2,074

Living in Barcelona is roughly 166% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Rabat is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$3.99 MAD 39.29

340.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$41.46 MAD 408

62.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$6.96 MAD 68.6

94.40%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$1.94 MAD 19.07

64.43%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.53 MAD 5.26

449.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.37 MAD 3.61

410.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.19 MAD 51.1

-22.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.14 MAD 30.93

44.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.90 MAD 8.86

45.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.60 MAD 5.95

236.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.92 MAD 18.88

-3.65%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$1.86 MAD 18.27

159.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$11.16 MAD 110

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$6.71 MAD 66.1

35.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$12.08 MAD 119

62.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.55 MAD 15.29

92.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.43 MAD 14.10

41.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$0.81 MAD 7.97

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$0.82 MAD 8.12

241.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.72 MAD 7.07

190.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$0.75 MAD 7.37

176.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.37 MAD 3.62

294.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.63 MAD 6.23

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$4.06 MAD 40.01

69.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$7.33 MAD 72.2

7.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.56 MAD 25.24

-44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.68 MAD 26.41

-5.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.55 MAD 5.42

470.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$25.62 MAD 252

-0.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$0.73 MAD 7.18

309.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.77 MAD 7.61

93.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$4.13 MAD 40.70

707.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.52 MAD 14.99

18.42%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$30.2K MAD 297.0K

10.07%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$32.1K MAD 316.0K

-1.22%

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

$180 €162

$35.47 MAD 349

408.63%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$10.21 MAD 101

35.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$33.51 MAD 330

0.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$27.87 MAD 274

84.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$24.11 MAD 237

-33.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$5.94 MAD 58.5

85.02%

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

$917 €823

$180 MAD 1,776

408.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,261 MAD 91.2K

77.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$46.83 MAD 461

85.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$40.60 MAD 400

-5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$91.6 MAD 902

15.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$66.0 MAD 650

81.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$572 MAD 5,629

197.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$345 MAD 3,401

292.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$987 MAD 9,719

163.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$687 MAD 6,769

200.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$2,126 MAD 20.9K

225.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$1,214 MAD 12.0K

322.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$721 MAD 7,105

206.43%

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 Rabat: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Rabat

$345 37.5% 74.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Rabat

$203 22% 37% $119

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Rabat

$112 12.1% 58.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Rabat

$79 8.6% 65.3% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Rabat

$110 12% 30.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Rabat

$40 4.3% 45.9% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Rabat

$32 3.5% 33.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $572 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $41 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $203 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MAD = 10.15 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Rabat 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rabat differ by about 166% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $921 including rent). Rabat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.1 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 $572 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $180 in Rabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rabat – a meal for two runs $41 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Rabat is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Rabat wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.