Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,145 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Timisoara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,145 in Timisoara.

Barcelona $2,399
Timisoara $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,760 in Timisoara.

Barcelona $3,410
Timisoara $1,760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,374 in Timisoara.

Barcelona $4,421
Timisoara $2,374

Living in Barcelona is roughly 109% more expensive than in Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Timisoara is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$10.28 RON 48.66

74.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$46.90 RON 222

45.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.57 RON 40.56

54.96%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.03 RON 14.35

7.26%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.18 RON 10.33

38.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.58 RON 7.49

18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.76 RON 13.06

39.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.28 RON 20.24

4.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.37 RON 6.50

-5.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.19 RON 5.65

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.32 RON 6.25

30.30%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.89 RON 13.69

65.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$8.42 RON 39.82

99.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$5.88 RON 27.84

51.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$11.25 RON 53.2

76.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.14 RON 5.41

161.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.50 RON 7.11

35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.46 RON 6.90

86.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.42 RON 11.45

10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.78 RON 3.69

169.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.92 RON 4.35

126.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.69 RON 3.27

110.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.78 RON 3.67

14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.21 RON 29.36

11.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.51 RON 35.52

3.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.14 RON 5.41

27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.76 RON 8.34

46.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.07 RON 5.07

179.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$33.44 RON 158

-24.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.80 RON 3.80

290.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.86 RON 4.06

67.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$8.15 RON 38.56

311.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.87 RON 8.83

-4.28%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$28.5K RON 135.0K

21.42%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$23.5K RON 111.2K

27.91%

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

$178 €158

$170 RON 802

4.91%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$6.75 RON 31.94

97.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$8.48 RON 40.12

311.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$38.51 RON 182

38.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$16.04 RON 75.9

-0.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$7.92 RON 37.48

39.65%

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

$957 €851

$574 RON 2,718

66.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$8,658 RON 41.0K

91.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$73.3 RON 347

20.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$39.81 RON 188

-0.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$77.5 RON 367

32.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$87.8 RON 415

38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$527 RON 2,494

213.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$352 RON 1,666

269.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$824 RON 3,897

210.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$617 RON 2,920

210.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,554 RON 12.1K

185.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,850 RON 8,752

174.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,175 RON 5,557

94.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.88

-52.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Timisoara

$352 30.8% 72.9% $950

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Timisoara

$204 17.8% 36.2% $116

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Timisoara

$182 15.9% 32.7% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Timisoara

$185 16.1% 18.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Timisoara

$125 10.9% 20.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Timisoara

$54 4.7% 27.9% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Timisoara

$43 3.7% 9.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $527 in Timisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 94% 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 $47.00 in Timisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $204 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

319,279

💱 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 Timisoara 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Timisoara

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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Timisoara differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,145 including rent). Timisoara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% 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 $527 in Timisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $574 in Timisoara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,145 in Timisoara versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timisoara but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Timisoara 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 Timisoara 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 Timisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.