Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medias and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medias 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 Medias and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Medias versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Medias $1,102
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,683 in Medias versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Medias $1,683
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,263 in Medias versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Medias $2,263
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Medias costs roughly 55% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medias is 19% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 RON 53.0

$17.66 €15.71

-36.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 RON 246

$67.5 €60.0

-23.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 RON 34.94

$13.61 €12.12

-46.00%

Cappuccino

$3.70 RON 17.59

$3.10 €2.76

19.35%

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

$2.46 RON 11.68

$3.00 €2.67

-18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.71

$1.93 €1.71

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.20

$3.84 €3.42

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 RON 15.55

$4.36 €3.88

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.25 €1.11

-1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$2.12 €1.89

-32.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 RON 8.24

$1.97 €1.76

-12.18%

Eggs

$3.59 RON 17.05

$4.76 €4.24

-24.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 RON 41.13

$17.07 €15.19

-49.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 RON 31.82

$8.96 €7.97

-25.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.89 RON 61.3

$20.65 €18.38

-37.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.02

$3.16 €2.81

-53.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.04

$1.97 €1.75

-24.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 RON 7.35

$2.65 €2.36

-41.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 RON 12.28

$2.88 €2.57

-10.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.06 €1.83

-62.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$2.18 €1.94

-65.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$1.53 €1.37

-47.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$0.97 €0.86

-22.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.50

$6.97 €6.20

-10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.85

$7.89 €7.02

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.42 €1.26

-13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.56

$2.69 €2.39

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

$3.31 €2.94

-78.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.96 RON 114

$25.61 €22.79

-6.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.14

$3.08 €2.74

-78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RON 3.23

$1.48 €1.32

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.60 RON 31.35

$32.87 €29.25

-79.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 RON 6.56

$1.87 €1.66

-26.20%

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

$29.0K RON 137.9K

$33.0K €29.3K

-11.98%

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

$25.2K RON 120.0K

$31.9K €28.4K

-20.97%

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

$180 RON 857

$183 €163

-1.36%

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

$7.25 RON 34.47

$14.24 €12.67

-49.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.26 RON 43.99

$34.56 €30.76

-73.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 RON 176

$51.4 €45.76

-27.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.31 RON 96.6

$16.38 €14.58

23.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.12 RON 29.10

$11.06 €9.85

-44.67%

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

$438 RON 2,082

$944 €840

-53.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,770 RON 36.9K

$22.3K €19.8K

-65.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 249

$87.7 €78.0

-40.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 RON 169

$38.77 €34.51

-8.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 RON 349

$105 €93.0

-29.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 RON 432

$118 €105

-22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 RON 1,850

$1,697 €1,510

-77.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,389

$1,337 €1,190

-78.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,862

$2,692 €2,396

-77.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 RON 2,152

$2,077 €1,848

-78.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 RON 9,690

$7,155 €6,367

-71.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 RON 7,036

$5,079 €4,520

-70.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.23

3.19

126.65%

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

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medias

$292 26.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 357% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Medias

$222 20.2%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 47.6% $106

Eating Out

Medias

$197 17.9%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 35.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medias

$197 17.9%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 17.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medias

$113 10.3%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 38.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medias

$49 4.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 49.3% $24

Getting Around

Medias

$31 2.8%

Barcelona

$49 2% 60.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $389 in Medias and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Medias vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $328 per month, with Medias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Medias

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h behind Medias

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,564

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medias Barcelona 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medias
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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

Medias vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,102 in Medias and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Medias is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,653 in Medias and $3,664 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $389 in Medias versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $438 in Medias versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,102 in Medias versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medias but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Medias 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, Medias and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Medias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.