Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Giurgiu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Giurgiu: $1,090 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Giurgiu
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Giurgiu Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Giurgiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,090

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Giurgiu and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Giurgiu and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,090 in Giurgiu versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Giurgiu $1,090
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,650 in Giurgiu versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Giurgiu $1,650
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Giurgiu versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Giurgiu $2,211
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Giurgiu costs roughly 56% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Giurgiu is 20% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.90 RON 52.4

$17.59 €15.80

-38.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 RON 248

$67.5 €60.6

-23.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 RON 34.26

$13.53 €12.15

-47.30%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.52

$3.19 €2.87

14.11%

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

$2.38 RON 11.45

$2.91 €2.62

-18.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 RON 10.36

$1.89 €1.70

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 RON 14.67

$4.01 €3.60

-23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 RON 15.93

$4.53 €4.07

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 RON 7.42

$1.31 €1.17

17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.57

$2.02 €1.81

-32.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.50

$1.85 €1.66

-4.32%

Eggs

$3.46 RON 16.63

$4.83 €4.34

-28.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 RON 42.02

$16.74 €15.03

-47.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 RON 33.60

$9.12 €8.19

-23.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 RON 60.7

$19.64 €17.64

-35.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 RON 7.09

$2.98 €2.68

-50.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 RON 7.46

$2.02 €1.81

-23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.90

$2.70 €2.43

-39.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 RON 12.59

$2.80 €2.52

-6.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.62

$2.09 €1.87

-64.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.23

$2.07 €1.86

-57.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.13

$1.46 €1.31

-41.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.94 €0.84

-19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 RON 28.64

$6.87 €6.17

-13.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.29 RON 35.02

$7.89 €7.08

-7.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.90

$1.41 €1.26

-12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.68

$2.54 €2.28

-28.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$3.14 €2.82

-77.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.71 RON 104

$25.45 €22.86

-14.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.67 RON 3.21

$2.99 €2.69

-77.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.18

$1.49 €1.34

-55.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 RON 31.68

$33.37 €29.98

-80.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.90

$1.80 €1.61

2.78%

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

$28.0K RON 134.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-15.64%

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

$24.9K RON 119.5K

$31.7K €28.5K

-21.53%

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

$181 RON 870

$180 €162

0.35%

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

$7.98 RON 38.35

$13.84 €12.43

-42.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.25 RON 44.44

$33.70 €30.27

-72.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.24 RON 193

$51.5 €46.27

-21.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.63 RON 104

$15.96 €14.34

35.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.37 RON 45.05

$10.99 €9.88

-14.74%

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

$442 RON 2,123

$917 €823

-51.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,801 RON 32.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

-58.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 RON 247

$87.0 €78.2

-41.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.48 RON 171

$38.51 €34.59

-7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 RON 358

$106 €95.1

-29.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 RON 425

$120 €108

-26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 RON 1,753

$1,699 €1,527

-78.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 RON 1,312

$1,355 €1,217

-79.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 RON 2,658

$2,603 €2,338

-78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 RON 1,842

$2,062 €1,853

-81.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,958 RON 9,409

$6,915 €6,211

-71.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 RON 6,595

$5,128 €4,606

-73.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$911 RON 4,376

$2,211 €1,986

-58.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.28

119.51%

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

Last update for Giurgiu: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Giurgiu

$273 25.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 397% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Giurgiu

$226 20.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 42.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Giurgiu

$198 18.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 15% $30

Eating Out

Giurgiu

$192 17.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 39.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Giurgiu

$112 10.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 40.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Giurgiu

$59 5.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 24.6% $15

Getting Around

Giurgiu

$29 2.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 69.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $365 in Giurgiu and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Giurgiu vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $322 per month, with Giurgiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Giurgiu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

1 h behind Giurgiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,353

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Giurgiu Barcelona 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Giurgiu
Barcelona

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

Giurgiu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,090 in Giurgiu and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Giurgiu is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Giurgiu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $365 in Giurgiu versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $442 in Giurgiu versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,090 in Giurgiu versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Giurgiu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Giurgiu 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, Giurgiu and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Giurgiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.