Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Alba Iulia versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Alba Iulia $901
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Alba Iulia versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Alba Iulia $1,378
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Alba Iulia versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Alba Iulia $1,855
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alba Iulia is 34% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 RON 40.97

$17.59 €15.69

-51.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RON 148

$67.5 €60.2

-54.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 RON 28.01

$13.53 €12.07

-56.54%

Cappuccino

$2.28 RON 10.86

$3.19 €2.85

-28.53%

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

$1.75 RON 8.36

$2.91 €2.60

-39.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 RON 7.07

$1.89 €1.69

-21.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 RON 9.37

$4.01 €3.58

-50.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.70

$4.53 €4.04

-54.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.86

$1.31 €1.16

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.16

$2.02 €1.80

-46.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.80

$1.85 €1.65

-22.70%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.82

$4.83 €4.31

-44.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 35.85

$16.74 €14.93

-55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 RON 28.72

$9.12 €8.14

-33.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.5

$19.64 €17.52

-45.01%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.40

$2.98 €2.66

-69.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.23

$2.02 €1.80

-35.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.00

$2.70 €2.41

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 RON 11.10

$2.80 €2.50

-16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.41

$2.09 €1.86

-65.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 RON 2.81

$2.07 €1.85

-71.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$1.46 €1.30

-40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.90

$0.94 €0.84

-35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 RON 24.67

$6.87 €6.13

-24.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.38

$7.89 €7.04

-45.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$1.41 €1.25

-20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.06

$2.54 €2.26

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$3.14 €2.80

-76.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 80.9

$25.45 €22.70

-33.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.03

$2.99 €2.67

-78.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 3.00

$1.49 €1.33

-57.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 RON 21.28

$33.37 €29.78

-86.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.14

$1.80 €1.60

-16.67%

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

$28.8K RON 137.2K

$33.2K €29.6K

-13.26%

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

$23.7K RON 113.1K

$31.7K €28.3K

-25.12%

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

$125 RON 593

$180 €161

-30.97%

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

$7.31 RON 34.81

$13.84 €12.35

-47.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 RON 42.91

$33.70 €30.06

-73.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 RON 141

$51.5 €45.96

-42.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 147

$15.96 €14.24

93.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 RON 24.23

$10.99 €9.81

-53.69%

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

$435 RON 2,074

$917 €818

-52.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,969 RON 33.2K

$16.5K €14.7K

-57.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.02 RON 181

$87.0 €77.7

-56.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.94 RON 114

$38.51 €34.35

-37.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 RON 352

$106 €94.4

-30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 RON 294

$120 €107

-48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,410

$1,699 €1,516

-82.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,348

$1,355 €1,209

-79.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 RON 2,916

$2,603 €2,322

-76.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,278

$2,062 €1,840

-76.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 RON 7,826

$6,915 €6,169

-76.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,401 RON 6,674

$5,128 €4,575

-72.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 RON 4,303

$2,211 €1,972

-59.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

3.28

112.50%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 379% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 74.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 61.9% $87

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 90.5% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 77.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 85% $34

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 104% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Alba Iulia and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.4 times 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 in Alba Iulia vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $322 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

1 h behind Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alba Iulia Barcelona 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Alba Iulia
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

Alba Iulia vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Alba Iulia. 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: $296 in Alba Iulia versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $901 per month in Alba Iulia versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Alba Iulia is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 33% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia 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.

Expats usually find Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.