Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Focsani

For one person, living is cheaper in Focsani: $1,019 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Focsani, Romania
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Focsani
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,019
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Focsani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,019 in Focsani.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Focsani $1,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,643 in Focsani.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Focsani $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,266 in Focsani.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Focsani $2,266

Living in Barcelona is roughly 141% more expensive than in Focsani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Focsani is 25% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.76
$7.53 RON 36.01
133.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$42.58 RON 204
58.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$7.21 RON 34.48
87.66%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$2.40 RON 11.47
32.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$1.85 RON 8.86
57.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$1.58 RON 7.57
19.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$1.91 RON 9.14
109.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$2.55 RON 12.18
77.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.66 RON 7.92
-21.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.08 RON 5.15
87.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$1.23 RON 5.87
50.41%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$3.13 RON 14.97
54.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.00
$8.65 RON 41.37
93.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$6.66 RON 31.87
36.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.60
$10.42 RON 49.84
88.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$1.20 RON 5.76
148.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.58 RON 7.54
27.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$1.57 RON 7.52
71.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$2.25 RON 10.78
24.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$0.85 RON 4.07
145.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$0.79 RON 3.80
162.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$0.61 RON 2.94
139.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.76 RON 3.63
23.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.16
$5.77 RON 27.59
19.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.07
$4.25 RON 20.34
85.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.15 RON 5.51
22.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$1.48 RON 7.06
71.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$0.81 RON 3.88
287.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.80
$15.65 RON 74.9
62.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$0.61 RON 2.90
390.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$0.66 RON 3.16
125.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.91
$6.34 RON 30.31
426.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.87 RON 8.94
-3.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$24.9K RON 119.1K
33.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$24.1K RON 115.4K
31.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$170 RON 812
6.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.40
$8.23 RON 39.36
68.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.20
$9.01 RON 43.10
274.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.16
$27.77 RON 133
85.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.30
$36.37 RON 174
-56.12%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$8.12 RON 38.84
35.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$319 RON 1,524
187.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$14.6K RON 69.7K
13.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.0
$89.2 RON 427
-2.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.51
$38.40 RON 184
0.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$79.1 RON 378
33.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$92.0 RON 440
30.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,523
$377 RON 1,802
351.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$291 RON 1,391
366.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,332
$895 RON 4,283
190.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,848
$636 RON 3,043
224.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,196
$1,045 RON 5,001
561.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,595
$878 RON 4,200
484.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Focsani
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,981
$683 RON 3,268
223.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
6.75
-51.41%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Focsani: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Focsani
$291 78.6% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Focsani
$201 37.5% $121
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Focsani
$139 48.1% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Focsani
$187 18% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Focsani
$134 14.9% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Focsani
$44 40.1% $29
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Focsani
$23 52.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $377 in Focsani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $43 in Focsani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $201 per month, with Focsani cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇷🇴 Focsani
🕒 Local time
02:01 2:01 AM
03:01 3:01 AM
1 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
97,186
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Focsani 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Focsani

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 Focsani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Focsani?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,019 in Focsani, so Focsani is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Focsani?
Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Focsani?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $377 in Focsani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Focsani?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $319 in Focsani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Focsani is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Focsani?
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.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Focsani?
Expats usually find Focsani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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