Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marrakech and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Marrakech: $889 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Marrakech
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Marrakech Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Marrakech

🇲🇦 Morocco

$889

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marrakech 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 Marrakech and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Marrakech versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Marrakech $889
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,327 in Marrakech versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Marrakech $1,327
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,765 in Marrakech versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Marrakech $1,765
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Marrakech costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Marrakech is 34% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.60 MAD 35.10

$17.94 €15.96

-79.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.92 MAD 301

$68.1 €60.5

-54.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 MAD 58.8

$13.28 €11.81

-54.59%

Cappuccino

$2.29 MAD 22.32

$3.25 €2.89

-29.54%

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

$1.96 MAD 19.11

$3.01 €2.67

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 MAD 6.45

$1.87 €1.66

-64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 MAD 66.3

$3.85 €3.42

76.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MAD 52.1

$4.48 €3.98

19.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 MAD 8.06

$1.29 €1.15

-35.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 MAD 7.90

$2.04 €1.81

-60.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MAD 15.29

$1.72 €1.53

-8.72%

Eggs

$2.00 MAD 19.48

$4.77 €4.24

-58.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 MAD 76.8

$16.77 €14.92

-53.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 MAD 52.9

$8.93 €7.94

-39.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MAD 112

$19.88 €17.68

-42.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MAD 15.86

$2.98 €2.65

-45.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MAD 13.87

$2.03 €1.80

-30.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 MAD 8.83

$2.73 €2.43

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 MAD 7.75

$2.68 €2.38

-70.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 6.99

$2.10 €1.87

-65.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MAD 7.57

$2.08 €1.85

-62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 MAD 2.24

$1.45 €1.29

-84.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MAD 5.51

$0.89 €0.79

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MAD 39.97

$6.94 €6.17

-40.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 MAD 77.1

$7.78 €6.92

1.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 MAD 22.12

$1.45 €1.29

56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MAD 32.69

$2.57 €2.29

30.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MAD 3.83

$2.99 €2.66

-86.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 MAD 256

$25.20 €22.41

4.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 MAD 8.47

$3.12 €2.77

-72.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 MAD 6.24

$1.44 €1.28

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 MAD 71.2

$33.50 €29.80

-78.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MAD 14.48

$1.79 €1.59

-16.76%

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

$33.9K MAD 331.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

-1.98%

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

$30.2K MAD 294.4K

$30.1K €26.7K

0.41%

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

$35.87 MAD 350

$178 €158

-79.83%

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

$8.89 MAD 86.6

$13.32 €11.85

-33.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.31 MAD 364

$34.88 €31.03

6.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.67 MAD 280

$53.3 €47.37

-46.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 MAD 206

$16.01 €14.24

32.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 MAD 61.5

$11.06 €9.84

-43.04%

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

$101 MAD 985

$957 €851

-89.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,211 MAD 80.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

-50.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.02 MAD 312

$88.2 €78.4

-63.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.81 MAD 437

$39.49 €35.12

13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 MAD 813

$103 €91.5

-18.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 MAD 794

$121 €108

-32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 MAD 4,769

$1,653 €1,470

-70.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 MAD 3,027

$1,302 €1,158

-76.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 MAD 7,154

$2,557 €2,275

-71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 MAD 4,339

$1,915 €1,703

-76.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MAD 18.8K

$7,286 €6,481

-73.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$938 MAD 9,145

$5,080 €4,519

-81.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 MAD 4,791

$2,281 €2,029

-78.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.28

37.20%

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

Last update for Marrakech: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marrakech

$310 34.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 319% $991

Groceries & Markets

Marrakech

$185 20.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 72.7% $135

Eating Out

Marrakech

$130 14.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 109% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Marrakech

$109 12.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 45.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marrakech

$82 9.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 175% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Marrakech

$41 4.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 82.6% $34

Getting Around

Marrakech

$32 3.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 49.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $489 in Marrakech and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 364% 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: $31.00 in Marrakech vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $320 per month, with Marrakech cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Marrakech

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

1 h ahead of Marrakech

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,002,697

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marrakech Barcelona 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Marrakech
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

Marrakech vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marrakech and Barcelona differ by about 170% in total monthly costs ($889 vs $2,399 including rent). Marrakech is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 364% 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: $489 in Marrakech versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $101 in Marrakech 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 73% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $889 in Marrakech versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Marrakech but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Marrakech 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, Marrakech 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 Marrakech gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.