Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ouarzazate and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouarzazate: $706 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ouarzazate, Morocco
Lisbon, Portugal
Ouarzazate
🇲🇦 Morocco
$706
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ouarzazate and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $706 in Ouarzazate versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Ouarzazate $706
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,099 in Ouarzazate versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Ouarzazate $1,099
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,492 in Ouarzazate versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Ouarzazate $1,492
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ouarzazate costs roughly 68% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ouarzazate is 48% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.93 MAD 38.58
$16.65 €14.91
-76.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.65 MAD 301
$61.7 €55.3
-50.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.02 MAD 59.2
$11.36 €10.17
-47.01%
Cappuccino
$2.47 MAD 24.29
$2.97 €2.66
-16.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 MAD 5.46
$2.29 €2.05
-75.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 MAD 3.60
$1.74 €1.56
-78.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.56 MAD 64.5
$3.40 €3.05
92.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.58 MAD 54.8
$3.31 €2.96
68.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 MAD 7.81
$1.16 €1.04
-31.03%
White Bread (500g)
$0.85 MAD 8.38
$1.91 €1.71
-55.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MAD 14.43
$1.51 €1.35
-2.65%
Eggs
$1.52 MAD 14.95
$4.02 €3.60
-62.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.64 MAD 75.1
$12.94 €11.59
-40.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 MAD 43.69
$7.77 €6.96
-42.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.29 MAD 111
$17.76 €15.91
-36.43%
Apples (1kg)
$0.74 MAD 7.32
$2.30 €2.06
-67.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 MAD 12.34
$1.73 €1.55
-27.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.64 MAD 6.25
$1.86 €1.66
-65.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.72 MAD 7.03
$2.59 €2.32
-72.20%
Potato (1kg)
$0.66 MAD 6.45
$1.82 €1.63
-63.74%
Onion (1kg)
$0.75 MAD 7.38
$1.97 €1.76
-61.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.23 MAD 2.26
$1.47 €1.32
-84.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 MAD 5.97
$0.72 €0.65
-15.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 MAD 39.23
$6.58 €5.90
-39.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.68 MAD 75.5
$5.61 €5.02
36.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 MAD 21.92
$1.36 €1.22
63.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 MAD 33.27
$2.14 €1.91
57.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.50 MAD 4.94
$2.33 €2.09
-78.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.66 MAD 183
$44.68 €40.01
-58.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.53 MAD 5.19
$3.85 €3.45
-86.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 MAD 6.10
$1.07 €0.96
-42.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.09 MAD 69.7
$16.46 €14.74
-56.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 MAD 13.84
$2.20 €1.97
-35.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MAD 296.4K
$34.2K €30.6K
-11.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K MAD 303.6K
$38.7K €34.7K
-20.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$35.09 MAD 345
$161 €144
-78.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.96 MAD 48.75
$18.41 €16.49
-73.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.40 MAD 250
$32.74 €29.32
-22.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.27 MAD 248
$44.55 €39.90
-43.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.98 MAD 177
$19.10 €17.10
-5.86%
Cinema Ticket
$6.41 MAD 63.0
$9.60 €8.60
-33.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$98.6 MAD 969
$668 €598
-85.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,270 MAD 81.3K
$17.6K €15.8K
-53.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.20 MAD 307
$102 €91.4
-69.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.88 MAD 431
$44.46 €39.82
-1.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 MAD 790
$98.5 €88.2
-18.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 MAD 783
$124 €111
-35.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$278 MAD 2,730
$1,608 €1,440
-82.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 MAD 1,732
$1,190 €1,066
-85.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$519 MAD 5,105
$2,812 €2,519
-81.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$265 MAD 2,606
$2,013 €1,803
-86.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,196 MAD 11.8K
$7,839 €7,021
-84.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$828 MAD 8,134
$4,576 €4,098
-81.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ouarzazate
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$201 MAD 1,979
$1,575 €1,411
-87.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
3.85
16.88%

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

Last update for Ouarzazate: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ouarzazate
$176
Lisbon
$1.2K 576% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Ouarzazate
$170
Lisbon
$272 60.4% $103
Eating Out
Ouarzazate
$127
Lisbon
$243 91.4% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Ouarzazate
$106
Lisbon
$166 56.8% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ouarzazate
$65
Lisbon
$212 225% $147
Sport & Entertainment
Ouarzazate
$38
Lisbon
$64 67.4% $26
Getting Around
Ouarzazate
$24
Lisbon
$63 160% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $278 in Ouarzazate and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Ouarzazate vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $272 per month, with Ouarzazate cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Ouarzazate
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
22:21 10:21 PM
22:21 10:21 PM
Same time as Ouarzazate
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,067
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ouarzazate Lisbon 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ouarzazate
  • Lisbon

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
Ouarzazate vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ouarzazate and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $706 in Ouarzazate and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Ouarzazate is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Ouarzazate. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ouarzazate and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $278 in Ouarzazate versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ouarzazate and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $99 in Ouarzazate versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $706 in Ouarzazate versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ouarzazate but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ouarzazate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ouarzazate and Lisbon?
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.
Is Ouarzazate or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ouarzazate and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Ouarzazate or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Ouarzazate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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