Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Miercurea Ciuc

For one person, living is cheaper in Miercurea Ciuc: $742 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Miercurea Ciuc
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Miercurea Ciuc Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Miercurea Ciuc

🇷🇴 Romania

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Miercurea Ciuc

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $742 in Miercurea Ciuc.

Barcelona $2,453
Miercurea Ciuc $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,182 in Miercurea Ciuc.

Barcelona $3,509
Miercurea Ciuc $1,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,622 in Miercurea Ciuc.

Barcelona $4,564
Miercurea Ciuc $1,622

Living in Barcelona is roughly 231% more expensive than in Miercurea Ciuc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Miercurea Ciuc is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$6.31 RON 30.08

178.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$20.74 RON 98.8

225.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$6.38 RON 30.40

112.07%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$1.65 RON 7.84

93.33%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.61 RON 7.68

80.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.39 RON 6.62

35.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$1.94 RON 9.26

106.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$1.97 RON 9.37

129.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.42 RON 6.77

-7.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.13 RON 5.41

78.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.37 RON 6.53

35.04%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.44 RON 16.40

40.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$7.80 RON 37.15

114.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$4.74 RON 22.60

92.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$8.09 RON 38.55

142.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$0.75 RON 3.57

297.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.49 RON 7.10

35.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.47 RON 7.03

83.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.60 RON 12.39

7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.66 RON 3.14

216.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.61 RON 2.91

239.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.41 RON 1.95

256.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.61 RON 2.91

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$5.13 RON 24.46

33.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.17 RON 24.63

52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.89 RON 4.22

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.27 RON 6.06

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.83 RON 3.95

278.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$21.22 RON 101

19.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.96 RON 4.58

211.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.88 RON 4.18

69.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$8.24 RON 39.27

304.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.74 RON 8.27

3.45%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$25.3K RON 120.4K

31.34%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$25.5K RON 121.5K

24.28%

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

$180 €161

$114 RON 544

57.92%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$5.14 RON 24.48

169.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$5.14 RON 24.50

555.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$31.85 RON 152

61.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$10.41 RON 49.58

53.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$4.80 RON 22.88

128.96%

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

$917 €818

$437 RON 2,080

109.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,663 RON 31.7K

147.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$42.30 RON 202

105.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$16.93 RON 80.7

127.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$69.0 RON 329

53.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$85.1 RON 405

40.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$188 RON 896

803.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$158 RON 751

760.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$414 RON 1,972

528.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$376 RON 1,792

448.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$1,436 RON 6,844

381.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$1,382 RON 6,583

271.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$690 RON 3,289

220.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.85

-52.12%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Miercurea Ciuc: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Miercurea Ciuc

$158 21.2% 88.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Miercurea Ciuc

$177 23.9% 44.9% $145

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Miercurea Ciuc

$115 15.5% 57.1% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Miercurea Ciuc

$125 16.8% 45.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Miercurea Ciuc

$96 12.9% 39.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Miercurea Ciuc

$41 5.6% 43.6% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Miercurea Ciuc

$30 4% 38.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $188 in Miercurea Ciuc. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.2 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 $21 in Miercurea Ciuc for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $177 per month, with Miercurea Ciuc cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Miercurea Ciuc

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

38,966

💱 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

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Barcelona Miercurea Ciuc 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Miercurea Ciuc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $742 in Miercurea Ciuc, so Miercurea Ciuc is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $188 in Miercurea Ciuc. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $437 in Miercurea Ciuc. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $742 in Miercurea Ciuc versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Miercurea Ciuc but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Miercurea Ciuc 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 Miercurea Ciuc are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Miercurea Ciuc gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.