Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Barlad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $975 in Barlad.

Barcelona $2,381
Barlad $975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,521 in Barlad.

Barcelona $3,406
Barlad $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,066 in Barlad.

Barcelona $4,431
Barlad $2,066

Living in Barcelona is roughly 144% more expensive than in Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Barlad is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$8.96 RON 42.41

99.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$41.38 RON 196

59.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.20 RON 34.06

90.14%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.41 RON 11.40

26.97%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.85 RON 8.75

65.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.54 RON 7.27

25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.17 RON 10.25

78.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.69 RON 12.72

71.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.34 RON 6.34

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.12 RON 5.31

87.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.40 RON 6.63

30.71%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.39 RON 16.02

36.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$7.51 RON 35.53

131.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.22 RON 24.69

77.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.04 RON 47.49

97.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.04 RON 4.92

189.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.63 RON 7.73

24.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.38 RON 6.54

92.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.76 RON 8.31

63.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.79 RON 3.75

173.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.77 RON 3.65

179.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.84 RON 3.99

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.89 RON 4.20

-1.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.64 RON 31.41

4.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.58 RON 26.38

40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.20 RON 5.68

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.62 RON 7.67

62.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.51 RON 2.40

470.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$19.88 RON 94.0

28.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.72 RON 3.42

316.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.73 RON 3.46

97.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$6.99 RON 33.08

374.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.75 RON 8.30

6.29%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.5K RON 125.3K

22.07%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.1K RON 118.7K

26.41%

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

$183 €163

$158 RON 748

15.62%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.87 RON 41.95

53.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$8.36 RON 39.58

293.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$34.02 RON 161

60.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$18.05 RON 85.4

-8.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.61 RON 31.28

69.89%

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

$954 €849

$465 RON 2,202

105.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,715 RON 36.5K

115.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$62.0 RON 293

38.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$34.81 RON 165

12.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$72.7 RON 344

42.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$86.2 RON 408

37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$407 RON 1,927

316.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$269 RON 1,271

374.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$651 RON 3,081

295.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$505 RON 2,387

281.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,755 RON 8,305

314.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,263 RON 5,976

296.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

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 20, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 78.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 41.5% $135

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 43.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Barlad

$175 18% 23.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 26.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 38.8% $30

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 44.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $407 in Barlad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $41.00 in Barlad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $190 per month, with Barlad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

77,518

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Barlad 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Barlad differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $975 including rent). Barlad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,462 in Barlad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $407 in Barlad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $465 in Barlad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $975 in Barlad versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barlad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Barlad 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Barlad are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barlad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.