Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bacau

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.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bacau

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 Bacau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Barcelona $2,453
Bacau $916

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

Barcelona $3,509
Bacau $1,552

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

Barcelona $4,564
Bacau $2,189

Barcelona costs about 168% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$14.19 RON 67.8

23.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$84.6 RON 404

-20.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.24 RON 34.60

86.88%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.04 RON 9.76

56.37%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.01 RON 9.58

44.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.87 RON 8.93

1.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.47 RON 11.81

62.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.34 RON 15.94

35.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 RON 5.65

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.70 RON 3.33

188.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.69 RON 8.07

9.47%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.47 RON 16.57

39.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$7.68 RON 36.70

117.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.33 RON 25.47

71.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$8.30 RON 39.65

136.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.10 RON 5.24

170.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.48 RON 7.08

36.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.49 RON 7.10

81.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.83 RON 8.75

53.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.72 RON 3.46

190.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.68 RON 3.27

204.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.75 RON 3.56

94.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.72 RON 3.43

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$5.35 RON 25.56

28.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$5.25 RON 25.10

50.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.02 RON 4.87

38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.17 RON 5.61

117.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.70 RON 3.33

348.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$29.15 RON 139

-12.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.61 RON 2.92

390.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.65 RON 3.10

129.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$6.72 RON 32.13

396.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.78 RON 8.50

1.12%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.9K RON 138.1K

14.87%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.8K RON 118.7K

27.61%

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

$180 €162

$106 RON 506

70.26%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$7.47 RON 35.70

85.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$4.63 RON 22.12

627.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$25.29 RON 121

103.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.98 RON 76.4

-0.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$6.09 RON 29.09

80.46%

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

$917 €821

$589 RON 2,814

55.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,986 RON 23.8K

230.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$85.0 RON 406

2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$31.98 RON 153

20.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$60.3 RON 288

75.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$83.2 RON 398

43.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$416 RON 1,988

308.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$236 RON 1,129

473.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$549 RON 2,621

374.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$405 RON 1,934

409.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,805 RON 8,624

283.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,229 RON 5,872

317.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$936 RON 4,475

136.08%

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 Bacau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bacau

$236 25.8% 82.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bacau

$177 19.3% 45.1% $145

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bacau

$194 21.2% 27.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bacau

$118 12.9% 48.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bacau

$117 12.8% 25.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bacau

$37 4.1% 49% $36

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bacau

$36 3.9% 26.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $416 in Bacau. 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 $67 in Barcelona versus $85 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $322 in Barcelona vs $177 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

144,307

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Bacau 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bacau

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 Bacau: 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 $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $1,373 in Bacau. 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 $67 in Barcelona and $85 in Bacau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $916 in Bacau. 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.