Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Satu Mare and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $930 in Satu Mare versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Satu Mare $930
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Satu Mare versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Satu Mare $1,406
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,883 in Satu Mare versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Satu Mare $1,883
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Satu Mare costs roughly 61% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Satu Mare is 31% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 RON 38.81

$17.89 €15.92

-54.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.51 RON 154

$66.2 €58.9

-50.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 RON 30.67

$13.69 €12.18

-52.67%

Cappuccino

$2.50 RON 11.81

$3.06 €2.72

-18.30%

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

$1.49 RON 7.04

$3.07 €2.73

-51.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.07

$1.94 €1.73

-34.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$3.87 €3.44

-51.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 RON 11.55

$4.61 €4.10

-47.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 RON 5.33

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 RON 5.04

$2.10 €1.87

-49.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$1.83 €1.62

-38.25%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.71

$4.62 €4.11

-41.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 RON 34.79

$17.36 €15.44

-57.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 RON 35.63

$9.28 €8.25

-18.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 RON 51.2

$19.83 €17.64

-45.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.19

$3.01 €2.68

-63.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.15

$2.03 €1.81

-35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.04

$2.65 €2.36

-51.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$2.87 €2.55

-50.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$2.16 €1.92

-44.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.48

$2.15 €1.91

-36.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.14

$1.47 €1.31

-40.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RON 3.34

$0.88 €0.79

-19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 RON 26.38

$6.93 €6.16

-19.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 RON 29.29

$7.83 €6.96

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.39 €1.24

-11.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.06

$2.63 €2.34

-35.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 RON 2.56

$2.91 €2.59

-81.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.41 RON 111

$25.46 €22.64

-8.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$3.00 €2.66

-73.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.03

$1.44 €1.28

-40.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.10 RON 38.34

$33.20 €29.53

-75.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 RON 7.47

$1.86 €1.65

-15.05%

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

$22.8K RON 107.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-29.52%

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

$25.3K RON 119.5K

$31.7K €28.2K

-20.33%

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

$126 RON 597

$183 €163

-30.99%

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

$7.14 RON 33.79

$13.61 €12.11

-47.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.25 RON 34.30

$32.93 €29.29

-77.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.55 RON 197

$54.7 €48.65

-24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 RON 50.5

$16.52 €14.70

-35.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 RON 29.29

$11.23 €9.99

-44.88%

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

$155 RON 733

$954 €849

-83.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,829 RON 18.1K

$16.6K €14.8K

-76.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 RON 282

$86.0 €76.5

-30.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.51 RON 135

$39.11 €34.78

-27.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 RON 405

$104 €92.2

-17.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 RON 328

$119 €106

-41.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 RON 1,524

$1,695 €1,508

-81.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 RON 1,229

$1,276 €1,135

-79.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 RON 3,060

$2,576 €2,291

-74.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 RON 1,938

$1,922 €1,710

-78.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 RON 4,765

$7,281 €6,477

-86.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 RON 4,995

$5,010 €4,456

-78.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 RON 3,075

$2,227 €1,981

-70.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.05

3.28

114.94%

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

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Satu Mare

$260 27.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 392% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Satu Mare

$195 21%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 66.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Satu Mare

$141 15.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 63.2% $89

Eating Out

Satu Mare

$140 15.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 92% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Satu Mare

$109 11.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 43% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Satu Mare

$54 5.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 43.1% $23

Getting Around

Satu Mare

$31 3.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 54.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $322 in Satu Mare and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 243% 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: $33.00 in Satu Mare vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $325 per month, with Satu Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h behind Satu Mare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,411

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Satu Mare Barcelona 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Satu Mare
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

Satu Mare vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Satu Mare and Barcelona differ by about 156% in total monthly costs ($930 vs $2,381 including rent). Satu Mare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 243% lower in Barcelona. 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: $322 in Satu Mare versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $155 in Satu Mare versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $930 in Satu Mare versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Satu Mare but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Satu Mare 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, Satu Mare and Barcelona 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 Satu Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.