Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lugoj

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $769 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
Learn more

Lugoj Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Lugoj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $769 in Lugoj.

Barcelona $2,443
Lugoj $769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,201 in Lugoj.

Barcelona $3,519
Lugoj $1,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,633 in Lugoj.

Barcelona $4,595
Lugoj $1,633

Living in Barcelona is roughly 218% more expensive than in Lugoj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Lugoj is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$9.18 RON 43.61

92.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$33.57 RON 160

100.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$5.17 RON 24.60

163.25%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$1.75 RON 8.30

77.14%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.54 RON 7.31

94.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.51 RON 7.17

27.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.05 RON 9.75

87.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$1.94 RON 9.24

124.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.60 RON 7.61

-21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.97 RON 4.62

118.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.65 RON 3.09

203.08%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$1.28 RON 6.07

271.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$3.36 RON 15.99

408.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$3.89 RON 18.47

130.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$4.23 RON 20.09

388.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.02 RON 4.87

209.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.24 RON 5.89

58.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.66 RON 7.89

59.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.62 RON 2.94

364.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.66 RON 3.11

212.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.66 RON 3.12

230.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.90 RON 4.27

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.61 RON 2.90

59.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$4.85 RON 23.04

43.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$4.31 RON 20.48

83.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.20 RON 5.70

18.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.72 RON 8.19

56.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$0.60 RON 2.86

451.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$21.22 RON 101

20.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$0.88 RON 4.17

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.87 RON 4.14

70.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$8.34 RON 39.66

294.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.91 RON 9.08

-2.09%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$28.5K RON 135.5K

15.67%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$24.9K RON 118.3K

28.39%

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

$183 €163

$52.6 RON 250

247.49%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$8.27 RON 39.30

72.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$9.56 RON 45.46

261.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$21.04 RON 100

144.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

$25.03 RON 119

-34.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$9.48 RON 45.07

16.67%

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

$944 €840

$584 RON 2,776

61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$12.4K RON 59.1K

78.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$88.5 RON 421

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$43.68 RON 208

-11.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$97.1 RON 462

7.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$106 RON 502

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$182 RON 867

829.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$212 RON 1,009

529.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$312 RON 1,482

763.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$314 RON 1,494

560.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$1,320 RON 6,272

442.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$1,057 RON 5,022

380.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$919 RON 4,368

143.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.65

-52.03%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lugoj: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Lugoj

$212 27.6% 84.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Lugoj

$130 16.9% 60.3% $198

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Lugoj

$136 17.7% 49% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Lugoj

$70 9.2% 69.6% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Lugoj

$151 19.6% 3.9% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Lugoj

$40 5.2% 45.6% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Lugoj

$29 3.8% 41.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $182 in Lugoj. 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 $34 in Lugoj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $130 per month, with Lugoj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

49,742

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Lugoj 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Lugoj

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 Lugoj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $769 in Lugoj, so Lugoj is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $182 in Lugoj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $584 in Lugoj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 152% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $769 in Lugoj versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lugoj but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lugoj 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 Lugoj are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lugoj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.