Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibiu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibiu: $1,114 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
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Sibiu Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,114

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,114 in Sibiu versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Sibiu $1,114
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,644 in Sibiu versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Sibiu $1,644
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,173 in Sibiu versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Sibiu $2,173
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Sibiu costs roughly 54% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sibiu is 17% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.53 RON 40.36

$17.94 €15.96

-52.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.04 RON 194

$68.1 €60.5

-39.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 RON 35.33

$13.28 €11.81

-43.75%

Cappuccino

$3.23 RON 15.27

$3.25 €2.89

-0.62%

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

$2.01 RON 9.53

$3.01 €2.67

-33.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.87 €1.66

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 RON 14.60

$3.85 €3.42

-19.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 RON 18.60

$4.48 €3.98

-12.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 RON 6.72

$1.29 €1.15

10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 RON 5.19

$2.04 €1.81

-46.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.30

$1.72 €1.53

-22.67%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.44

$4.77 €4.24

-27.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 RON 37.85

$16.77 €14.92

-52.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.77 RON 27.32

$8.93 €7.94

-35.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.97 RON 37.69

$19.88 €17.68

-59.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.43

$2.98 €2.65

-61.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.07

$2.03 €1.80

-26.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$2.73 €2.43

-47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 RON 11.77

$2.68 €2.38

-7.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.14

$2.10 €1.87

-68.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.08 €1.85

-71.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 RON 4.86

$1.45 €1.29

-28.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 RON 4.37

$0.89 €0.79

3.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 RON 27.62

$6.94 €6.17

-15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 RON 34.05

$7.78 €6.92

-7.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.63

$1.45 €1.29

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 RON 6.37

$2.57 €2.29

-47.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.36

$2.99 €2.66

-76.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.69 RON 83.7

$25.20 €22.41

-29.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 RON 4.60

$3.12 €2.77

-68.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.86

$1.44 €1.28

-43.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.27

$33.50 €29.80

-74.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.06

$1.79 €1.59

7.26%

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

$28.0K RON 132.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

-19.04%

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

$25.2K RON 119.3K

$30.1K €26.7K

-16.14%

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

$115 RON 543

$178 €158

-35.45%

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

$9.12 RON 43.14

$13.32 €11.85

-31.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 RON 58.3

$34.88 €31.03

-64.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.02 RON 166

$53.3 €47.37

-34.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.38 RON 68.1

$16.01 €14.24

-10.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 RON 32.42

$11.06 €9.84

-38.07%

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

$437 RON 2,068

$957 €851

-54.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,793 RON 32.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

-59.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.8 RON 349

$88.2 €78.4

-16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 RON 148

$39.49 €35.12

-20.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 RON 412

$103 €91.5

-15.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 RON 413

$121 €108

-28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 RON 2,113

$1,653 €1,470

-72.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,967

$1,302 €1,158

-68.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RON 3,884

$2,557 €2,275

-67.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 RON 2,819

$1,915 €1,703

-68.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 RON 11.5K

$7,286 €6,481

-66.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 RON 9,565

$5,080 €4,519

-60.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,109 RON 5,247

$2,281 €2,029

-51.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.02

3.28

114.02%

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

Last update for Sibiu: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibiu

$416 37.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 213% $886

Groceries & Markets

Sibiu

$194 17.5%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 64.7% $126

Eating Out

Sibiu

$168 15.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 61% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibiu

$136 12.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 65.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Sibiu

$126 11.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 26% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sibiu

$49 4.4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 54.7% $27

Getting Around

Sibiu

$26 2.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 85.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $447 in Sibiu and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 106% 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: $41.00 in Sibiu vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $320 per month, with Sibiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

1 h behind Sibiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,245

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 20, 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 20, 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

Sibiu Barcelona 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sibiu
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

Sibiu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibiu and Barcelona differ by about 115% in total monthly costs ($1,114 vs $2,399 including rent). Sibiu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 106% 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: $447 in Sibiu versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $437 in Sibiu versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,114 in Sibiu versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibiu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sibiu 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, Sibiu 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 Sibiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.