Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tangier

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangier: $1,006 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Tangier
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Tangier Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Tangier

🇲🇦 Morocco

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tangier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,006 in Tangier.

Barcelona $2,399
Tangier $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,521 in Tangier.

Barcelona $3,410
Tangier $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,036 in Tangier.

Barcelona $4,421
Tangier $2,036

Living in Barcelona is roughly 139% more expensive than in Tangier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Tangier is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$5.07 MAD 49.40

253.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$35.60 MAD 347

91.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.16 MAD 69.9

85.47%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.20 MAD 21.46

47.73%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.85 MAD 8.27

254.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.39 MAD 3.83

379.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.29 MAD 61.3

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.08 MAD 49.57

-11.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.00 MAD 9.79

29.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.11 MAD 10.83

83.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.68 MAD 16.42

2.38%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.92 MAD 18.68

148.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.96 MAD 97.1

68.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.83 MAD 66.6

30.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$13.31 MAD 130

49.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.57 MAD 15.35

89.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.48 MAD 14.41

37.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.75 MAD 7.28

264.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$0.74 MAD 7.26

262.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.67 MAD 6.49

213.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.70 MAD 6.80

197.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.46 MAD 4.47

215.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.60 MAD 5.81

48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$4.11 MAD 40.07

68.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.25 MAD 90.2

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.76 MAD 36.66

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.92 MAD 38.20

-34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.42 MAD 4.11

611.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$15.60 MAD 152

61.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.73 MAD 7.15

327.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.97 MAD 9.46

48.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$9.02 MAD 88.0

271.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.52 MAD 14.83

17.76%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.0K MAD 331.8K

1.75%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$29.4K MAD 286.3K

2.40%

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

$178 €158

$76.4 MAD 745

132.82%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$13.29 MAD 130

0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$39.29 MAD 383

-11.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$29.40 MAD 287

81.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$35.86 MAD 350

-55.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.40 MAD 72.1

49.46%

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

$957 €851

$91.3 MAD 891

947.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$6,084 MAD 59.3K

172.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$35.79 MAD 349

146.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$49.58 MAD 483

-20.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$99.5 MAD 970

3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$104 MAD 1,010

17.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$485 MAD 4,731

240.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$324 MAD 3,164

301.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$874 MAD 8,525

192.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$503 MAD 4,908

280.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,756 MAD 17.1K

314.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,188 MAD 11.6K

327.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$490 MAD 4,773

365.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.67

-10.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tangier: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Tangier

$324 32.3% 75.1% $977

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Tangier

$220 21.9% 31.1% $100

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Tangier

$135 13.4% 50% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Tangier

$129 12.8% 43% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Tangier

$130 12.9% 18% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Tangier

$44 4.4% 41.4% $31

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Tangier

$23 2.3% 51.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $485 in Tangier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 366% 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 $36.00 in Tangier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $220 per month, with Tangier cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇦 Tangier

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

947,952

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Tangier 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tangier

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 Tangier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Tangier differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,006 including rent). Tangier is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 366% 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 $485 in Tangier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $91.3 in Tangier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,006 in Tangier versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tangier but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Tangier 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 Tangier 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 Tangier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.