Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $1,038 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Targu Mures

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,038 in Targu Mures.

Barcelona $2,443
Targu Mures $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,544 in Targu Mures.

Barcelona $3,519
Targu Mures $1,544

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,049 in Targu Mures.

Barcelona $4,595
Targu Mures $2,049

Living in Barcelona is roughly 135% more expensive than in Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Targu Mures is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$8.64 RON 41.04

104.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$41.79 RON 199

61.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$8.26 RON 39.23

64.77%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.12 RON 10.07

46.23%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.58 RON 7.51

89.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.19 RON 5.65

62.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$1.66 RON 7.88

131.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$2.28 RON 10.82

91.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.40 RON 6.65

-10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.07 RON 5.06

98.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.40 RON 6.68

40.71%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.84 RON 13.52

67.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$8.17 RON 38.82

108.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$5.89 RON 27.99

52.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$10.33 RON 49.07

99.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.00 RON 4.75

216.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.30 RON 6.19

51.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.45 RON 6.91

82.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.76 RON 8.37

63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.76 RON 3.62

171.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.53 RON 2.54

311.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.88 RON 4.17

73.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.76 RON 3.61

27.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$5.86 RON 27.82

18.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$7.22 RON 34.31

9.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.03 RON 4.91

37.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.61 RON 7.65

67.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.64 RON 3.04

417.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$25.66 RON 122

-0.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.24 RON 5.87

148.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.28 RON 6.11

15.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$12.29 RON 58.4

167.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.87 RON 8.89

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$29.1K RON 138.1K

13.43%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$25.8K RON 122.4K

24.05%

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

$183 €163

$102 RON 485

79.26%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$9.50 RON 45.16

49.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$7.88 RON 37.46

338.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$38.39 RON 182

33.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$18.37 RON 87.3

-10.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$6.34 RON 30.14

74.45%

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

$944 €840

$1,322 RON 6,282

-28.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$51.4 RON 244

70.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$30.33 RON 144

27.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$75.2 RON 358

38.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$77.4 RON 368

52.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$466 RON 2,214

264.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$391 RON 1,855

242.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$702 RON 3,334

283.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$548 RON 2,604

278.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$2,493 RON 11.8K

186.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$1,631 RON 7,750

211.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

$1,030 RON 4,894

117.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

7.47

-57.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Targu Mures

$391 37.6% 70.8% $946

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Targu Mures

$193 18.6% 41.2% $135

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Targu Mures

$143 13.8% 46.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Targu Mures

$119 11.5% 48.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Targu Mures

$105 10.2% 32.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Targu Mures

$51 4.9% 30.6% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Targu Mures

$36 3.5% 27.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $466 in Targu Mures. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.2 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 $42 in Targu Mures for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $193 per month, with Targu Mures cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

134,290

💱 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 Targu Mures 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Targu Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,038 in Targu Mures, so Targu Mures is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.2 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $466 in Targu Mures. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,322 in Targu Mures. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Targu Mures – a meal for two runs $42 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Targu Mures is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Targu Mures are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Targu Mures wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.