Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasov: $1,310 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Brasov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,310 in Brasov.

Barcelona $2,399
Brasov $1,310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,115 in Brasov.

Barcelona $3,410
Brasov $2,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,920 in Brasov.

Barcelona $4,421
Brasov $2,920

Living in Barcelona is roughly 83% more expensive than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Brasov is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$10.91 RON 51.6

64.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$52.7 RON 249

29.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.49 RON 35.42

77.30%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.58 RON 16.93

-9.22%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.42 RON 11.43

24.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.21 RON 10.44

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.16 RON 14.97

21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.33 RON 15.76

34.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.52 RON 7.21

-15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.42 RON 6.71

43.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.78 RON 8.42

-3.37%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.60 RON 17.01

32.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$8.75 RON 41.39

91.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.95 RON 32.87

28.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.48 RON 59.1

59.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.48 RON 7.00

101.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.54 RON 7.30

31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.62 RON 7.68

68.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.73 RON 12.91

-1.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.76 RON 3.60

176.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.91 RON 4.30

128.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.90 RON 4.27

61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.80 RON 3.79

11.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$5.97 RON 28.23

16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.53 RON 35.63

3.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.23 RON 5.81

17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.81 RON 8.57

41.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.07 RON 5.05

179.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$23.18 RON 110

8.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.63 RON 2.98

395.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.62 RON 2.94

132.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$6.56 RON 31.05

410.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.92 RON 9.08

-6.77%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$28.2K RON 133.3K

22.91%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$26.1K RON 123.6K

15.12%

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

$178 €158

$179 RON 849

-0.90%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$7.73 RON 36.56

72.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$8.82 RON 41.74

295.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$56.8 RON 269

-6.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$13.60 RON 64.4

17.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$9.13 RON 43.19

21.14%

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

$957 €851

$450 RON 2,131

112.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$6,955 RON 32.9K

138.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$51.1 RON 242

72.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$34.95 RON 165

12.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$75.3 RON 356

36.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$89.7 RON 424

35.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$676 RON 3,197

144.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$472 RON 2,235

175.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,316 RON 6,228

94.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,053 RON 4,980

81.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,079 RON 14.6K

136.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,386 RON 11.3K

112.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,102 RON 5,212

107.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.2

-54.44%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Brasov

$472 36.1% 63.7% $829

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Brasov

$228 17.4% 28.7% $92

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Brasov

$194 14.8% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Brasov

$196 15% 13.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Brasov

$113 8.6% 28.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Brasov

$75 5.7% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Brasov

$31 2.4% 34.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $676 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 107% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $53.0 in Brasov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $228 per month, with Brasov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

253,200

💱 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 Brasov 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Brasov differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,310 including rent). Brasov is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 107% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $676 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $450 in Brasov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,310 in Brasov versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasov but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Brasov 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 Brasov 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 Brasov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.