Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $2,453 in Barcelona, rent included.

Bacau $916
Barcelona $2,453

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $3,509 in Barcelona, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Barcelona $3,509

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $4,564 in Barcelona, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Barcelona $4,564

Bacau is about 63% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bacau sits 33% below the global median, while Barcelona is 80% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 67.8

$17.59 €15.75

-19.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 404

$67.5 €60.5

25.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.60

$13.53 €12.12

-46.49%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.76

$3.19 €2.86

-36.05%

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

$2.01 RON 9.58

$2.91 €2.61

-30.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.93

$1.89 €1.70

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.81

$4.01 €3.59

-38.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 15.94

$4.53 €4.06

-26.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.65

$1.31 €1.17

-9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$2.02 €1.81

-65.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.07

$1.85 €1.66

-8.65%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.57

$4.83 €4.33

-28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.70

$16.74 €14.99

-54.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.47

$9.12 €8.17

-41.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.65

$19.64 €17.59

-57.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$2.98 €2.67

-63.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.08

$2.02 €1.81

-26.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$2.70 €2.42

-44.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.75

$2.80 €2.51

-34.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$2.09 €1.87

-65.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.27

$2.07 €1.85

-67.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$1.46 €1.31

-48.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.43

$0.94 €0.84

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.56

$6.87 €6.15

-22.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.10

$7.89 €7.06

-33.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$1.41 €1.26

-27.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.61

$2.54 €2.27

-53.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$3.14 €2.82

-77.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 139

$25.45 €22.79

14.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$2.99 €2.68

-79.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.10

$1.49 €1.34

-56.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.13

$33.37 €29.89

-79.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.80 €1.61

-1.11%

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

$28.9K RON 138.1K

$33.2K €29.7K

-12.94%

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

$24.8K RON 118.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

-21.63%

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

$106 RON 506

$180 €162

-41.27%

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

$7.47 RON 35.70

$13.84 €12.39

-46.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.12

$33.70 €30.18

-86.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 121

$51.5 €46.13

-50.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.4

$15.96 €14.29

0.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.09

$10.99 €9.85

-44.59%

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

$589 RON 2,814

$917 €821

-35.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 23.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

-69.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 406

$87.0 €77.9

-2.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 153

$38.51 €34.49

-16.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 288

$106 €94.8

-43.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 398

$120 €107

-30.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,988

$1,699 €1,522

-75.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,129

$1,355 €1,214

-82.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,621

$2,603 €2,331

-78.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,934

$2,062 €1,847

-80.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,624

$6,915 €6,193

-73.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,872

$5,128 €4,592

-76.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,475

$2,211 €1,980

-57.64%

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 Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 474% $1.1K

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 37.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 82.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 93.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 34.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 96.2% $36

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 35.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Barcelona are about 2.4 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau versus $67 in Barcelona. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $322 in Barcelona – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h behind Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

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

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bacau Barcelona 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
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

Bacau vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 168%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau and $3,679 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau and $67 in Barcelona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Bacau and $2,453 in Barcelona. That makes Bacau about 63% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bacau. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.