Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alba Iulia

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.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
Learn more

Alba Iulia Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Alba Iulia

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

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

Barcelona $2,453
Alba Iulia $901

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

Barcelona $3,509
Alba Iulia $1,378

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

Barcelona $4,564
Alba Iulia $1,855

Living in Barcelona is roughly 172% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$8.60 RON 40.97

104.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$30.98 RON 148

117.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$5.88 RON 28.01

130.10%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.28 RON 10.86

39.91%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.75 RON 8.36

66.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.48 RON 7.07

27.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$1.97 RON 9.37

103.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$2.04 RON 9.70

122.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.23 RON 5.86

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.08 RON 5.16

87.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.43 RON 6.80

29.37%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$2.69 RON 12.82

79.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$7.53 RON 35.85

122.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$6.03 RON 28.72

51.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$10.80 RON 51.5

81.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$0.92 RON 4.40

223.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.31 RON 6.23

54.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.26 RON 6.00

114.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.33 RON 11.10

20.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.72 RON 3.41

190.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.59 RON 2.81

250.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.87 RON 4.14

67.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.61 RON 2.90

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$5.18 RON 24.67

32.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$4.28 RON 20.38

84.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.12 RON 5.32

25.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.27 RON 6.06

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.75 RON 3.57

318.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$16.98 RON 80.9

49.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.64 RON 3.03

367.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.63 RON 3.00

136.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$4.47 RON 21.28

646.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.50 RON 7.14

20.00%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.8K RON 137.2K

15.29%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$23.7K RON 113.1K

33.54%

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

$180 €161

$125 RON 593

44.87%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$7.31 RON 34.81

89.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$9.01 RON 42.91

274.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$29.55 RON 141

74.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$30.83 RON 147

-48.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$5.09 RON 24.23

115.91%

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

$917 €818

$435 RON 2,074

110.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,969 RON 33.2K

136.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$38.02 RON 181

128.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$23.94 RON 114

60.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$73.8 RON 352

43.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$61.7 RON 294

94.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$296 RON 1,410

474.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$283 RON 1,348

378.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$612 RON 2,916

325.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$478 RON 2,278

331.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$1,643 RON 7,826

320.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$1,401 RON 6,674

266.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$903 RON 4,303

144.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.97

-52.94%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4% 79.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5% 42.6% $137

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 47.5% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 38.2% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9% 43.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4% 46% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 51% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $296 in Alba Iulia. 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $31 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $185 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

63,536

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Alba Iulia

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

Barcelona vs Alba Iulia: 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.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $901 in Alba Iulia – 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.