Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zărnești

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
Learn more

Zărnești Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zărnești

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $889 in Zărnești.

Barcelona $2,381
Zărnești $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,383 in Zărnești.

Barcelona $3,406
Zărnești $1,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $1,877 in Zărnești.

Barcelona $4,431
Zărnești $1,877

Living in Barcelona is roughly 168% more expensive than in Zărnești, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Zărnești is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$9.00 RON 42.60

98.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$42.40 RON 201

56.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.36 RON 39.57

63.76%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.18 RON 10.34

40.37%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.46 RON 6.90

110.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.20 RON 5.66

61.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.90 RON 9.00

103.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.28 RON 10.79

102.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.27 RON 6.02

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.07 RON 5.06

96.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.44 RON 6.81

27.08%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.79 RON 13.20

65.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$7.89 RON 37.33

120.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.74 RON 22.42

95.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$10.40 RON 49.21

90.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$0.93 RON 4.41

223.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.33 RON 6.30

52.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.27 RON 6.02

108.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.28 RON 6.06

124.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.78 RON 3.67

176.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.52 RON 2.45

313.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.80 RON 3.80

83.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.77 RON 3.63

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.15 RON 24.37

34.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.42 RON 35.09

5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.07 RON 5.08

29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.29 RON 6.12

103.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.70 RON 3.32

315.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$21.32 RON 101

19.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.88 RON 4.15

240.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.86 RON 4.05

67.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$7.45 RON 35.26

345.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.51 RON 7.16

23.18%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$28.5K RON 134.9K

13.44%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.0K RON 122.9K

22.05%

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

$183 €163

$99.0 RON 468

84.70%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$9.28 RON 43.89

46.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$8.00 RON 37.86

311.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$37.82 RON 179

44.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$19.41 RON 91.9

-14.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.24 RON 29.55

79.97%

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

$954 €849

$429 RON 2,031

122.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,733 RON 36.6K

114.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$44.43 RON 210

93.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$27.26 RON 129

43.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$68.9 RON 326

50.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$76.8 RON 363

54.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$434 RON 2,054

290.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$266 RON 1,258

379.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$576 RON 2,727

346.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$424 RON 2,008

352.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,751 RON 8,283

315.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,329 RON 6,288

276.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$510 RON 2,415

336.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.47

-56.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Zărnești

$266 29.9% 79.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Zărnești

$182 20.4% 44.1% $143

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zărnești

$148 16.7% 45.1% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Zărnești

$116 13.1% 49.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Zărnești

$98 11% 37.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Zărnești

$50 5.7% 34.8% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zărnești

$29 3.3% 38.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $434 in Zărnești. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 336% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $42.00 in Zărnești for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $182 per month, with Zărnești cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

24,926

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Zărnești 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zărnești

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 Zărnești: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zărnești differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $889 including rent). Zărnești is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 336% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $434 in Zărnești. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $429 in Zărnești. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $889 in Zărnești versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zărnești but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zărnești 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 Zărnești 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 Zărnești gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.