Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fes and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Fes: $675 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Fes
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Fes Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Fes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$675

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fes and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fes and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $675 in Fes versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Fes $675
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,042 in Fes versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Fes $1,042
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,408 in Fes versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Fes $1,408
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Fes costs roughly 72% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fes is 50% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 MAD 29.68

$17.94 €15.96

-83.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.52 MAD 307

$68.1 €60.5

-53.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 MAD 59.4

$13.28 €11.81

-54.14%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MAD 12.82

$3.25 €2.89

-59.69%

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

$0.54 MAD 5.31

$3.01 €2.67

-82.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MAD 3.75

$1.87 €1.66

-79.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 MAD 35.81

$3.85 €3.42

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 MAD 40.98

$4.48 €3.98

-6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 MAD 7.72

$1.29 €1.15

-38.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 MAD 5.26

$2.04 €1.81

-73.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MAD 16.99

$1.72 €1.53

1.16%

Eggs

$1.87 MAD 18.27

$4.77 €4.24

-60.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 MAD 95.0

$16.77 €14.91

-41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 MAD 43.30

$8.93 €7.94

-50.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MAD 92.6

$19.88 €17.68

-52.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 MAD 18.46

$2.98 €2.65

-36.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MAD 15.31

$2.03 €1.80

-22.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 MAD 10.53

$2.73 €2.43

-60.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 MAD 10.21

$2.68 €2.38

-60.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MAD 8.89

$2.10 €1.87

-56.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 MAD 10.27

$2.08 €1.85

-49.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 MAD 4.70

$1.45 €1.29

-66.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MAD 5.51

$0.89 €0.79

-35.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 MAD 41.98

$6.94 €6.17

-37.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 MAD 44.08

$7.78 €6.92

-41.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MAD 26.07

$1.45 €1.29

84.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 MAD 30.85

$2.57 €2.29

22.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MAD 3.83

$2.99 €2.66

-86.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.14 MAD 98.9

$25.20 €22.41

-59.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 MAD 6.24

$3.12 €2.77

-79.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MAD 7.28

$1.44 €1.28

-47.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MAD 14.00

$1.79 €1.59

-19.55%

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

$34.9K MAD 339.9K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.67%

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

$34.5K MAD 336.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

14.78%

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

$32.49 MAD 317

$178 €158

-81.73%

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

$10.33 MAD 101

$13.32 €11.85

-22.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.45 MAD 346

$34.88 €31.02

1.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.35 MAD 257

$53.3 €47.36

-50.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.30 MAD 188

$16.01 €14.24

20.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MAD 49.00

$11.06 €9.84

-54.52%

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

$94.6 MAD 922

$957 €851

-90.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,313 MAD 61.6K

$16.6K €14.7K

-61.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.29 MAD 188

$88.2 €78.4

-78.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 MAD 511

$39.49 €35.12

32.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 MAD 797

$103 €91.4

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.7 MAD 552

$121 €108

-53.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 MAD 3,050

$1,653 €1,470

-81.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 MAD 1,782

$1,302 €1,158

-85.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 MAD 5,252

$2,557 €2,275

-78.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MAD 2,431

$1,915 €1,703

-86.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$724 MAD 7,062

$7,286 €6,480

-90.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$342 MAD 3,333

$5,080 €4,518

-93.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$483 MAD 4,709

$2,281 €2,028

-78.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

52.44%

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

Last update for Fes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fes

$183 27.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 612% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Fes

$178 26.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 79.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Fes

$95 14%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 67.5% $64

Eating Out

Fes

$89 13.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 204% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fes

$78 11.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 189% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Fes

$36 5.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 107% $39

Getting Around

Fes

$16 2.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 195% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $313 in Fes and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 372% 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: $32.00 in Fes vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $320 per month, with Fes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Fes

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Fes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,167,842

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fes Barcelona 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fes
Barcelona

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

Fes vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fes and Barcelona differ by about 255% in total monthly costs ($675 vs $2,399 including rent). Fes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 372% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $313 in Fes versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $94.6 in Fes versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $675 in Fes versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fes but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Fes 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, Fes and Barcelona 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 Fes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.