Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sighetu Marmatiei and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei: $958 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania
Barcelona, Spain
Sighetu Marmatiei
🇷🇴 Romania
$958
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Sighetu Marmatiei $958
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,401 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Sighetu Marmatiei $1,401
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,843 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Sighetu Marmatiei $1,843
  • Barcelona $4,564

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Sighetu Marmatiei is 30% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.62 RON 41.42
$17.59 €15.80
-50.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.80 RON 100.0
$67.5 €60.6
-69.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.31 RON 35.14
$13.53 €12.15
-45.97%
Cappuccino
$2.68 RON 12.89
$3.19 €2.87
-15.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 RON 8.86
$2.91 €2.62
-36.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 RON 8.51
$1.89 €1.70
-6.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.06 RON 9.89
$4.01 €3.60
-48.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 RON 15.12
$4.53 €4.07
-30.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 RON 6.92
$1.31 €1.17
9.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 RON 4.87
$2.02 €1.81
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 RON 5.77
$1.85 €1.66
-35.14%
Eggs
$2.83 RON 13.61
$4.83 €4.34
-41.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.02 RON 38.54
$16.74 €15.03
-52.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.34 RON 30.45
$9.12 €8.19
-30.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.18 RON 44.10
$19.64 €17.64
-53.26%
Apples (1kg)
$1.12 RON 5.38
$2.98 €2.68
-62.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 RON 7.16
$2.02 €1.81
-26.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 RON 7.17
$2.70 €2.43
-44.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 RON 6.56
$2.80 €2.52
-51.43%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 RON 4.16
$2.09 €1.87
-58.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 RON 4.57
$2.07 €1.86
-54.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 RON 3.32
$1.46 €1.31
-52.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 RON 4.01
$0.94 €0.84
-10.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.46 RON 26.23
$6.87 €6.17
-20.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.77 RON 27.73
$7.89 €7.08
-26.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 RON 4.95
$1.41 €1.26
-26.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 RON 8.44
$2.54 €2.28
-30.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 RON 3.64
$3.14 €2.82
-75.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.76 RON 105
$25.45 €22.86
-14.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.72 RON 3.45
$2.99 €2.69
-75.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.77 RON 3.69
$1.49 €1.34
-48.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.41 RON 35.63
$33.37 €29.98
-77.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 RON 8.31
$1.80 €1.61
-3.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K RON 139.3K
$33.2K €29.8K
-12.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K RON 122.5K
$31.7K €28.5K
-19.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 RON 663
$180 €162
-23.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.50 RON 31.22
$13.84 €12.43
-53.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.73 RON 37.13
$33.70 €30.27
-77.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 RON 185
$51.5 €46.27
-25.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.29 RON 97.5
$15.96 €14.34
27.13%
Cinema Ticket
$4.31 RON 20.73
$10.99 €9.88
-60.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$396 RON 1,904
$917 €823
-56.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,844 RON 42.5K
$16.5K €14.8K
-46.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.9 RON 288
$87.0 €78.2
-31.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.56 RON 180
$38.51 €34.59
-2.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$54.8 RON 263
$106 €95.1
-48.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$63.4 RON 305
$120 €108
-47.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$378 RON 1,818
$1,699 €1,527
-77.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$290 RON 1,392
$1,355 €1,217
-78.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$602 RON 2,893
$2,603 €2,338
-76.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 RON 2,120
$2,062 €1,853
-78.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,865 RON 8,961
$6,915 €6,211
-73.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,333 RON 6,404
$5,128 €4,606
-74.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sighetu Marmatiei
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$522 RON 2,510
$2,211 €1,986
-76.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.1
3.28
116.46%

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

Last update for Sighetu Marmatiei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sighetu Marmatiei
$290
Barcelona
$1.4K 368% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Sighetu Marmatiei
$189
Barcelona
$322 70.5% $133
Eating Out
Sighetu Marmatiei
$154
Barcelona
$268 73.9% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sighetu Marmatiei
$152
Barcelona
$228 49.9% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Sighetu Marmatiei
$97
Barcelona
$158 62.7% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Sighetu Marmatiei
$47
Barcelona
$74 56.1% $26
Getting Around
Sighetu Marmatiei
$29
Barcelona
$48 65.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $322 per month, with Sighetu Marmatiei cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
14:01 2:01 PM
13:01 1:01 PM
1 h behind Sighetu Marmatiei
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,640
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sighetu Marmatiei Barcelona 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sighetu Marmatiei
  • 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
Sighetu Marmatiei vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sighetu Marmatiei and in Barcelona?
Sighetu Marmatiei and Barcelona differ by about 156% in total monthly costs ($958 vs $2,453 including rent). Sighetu Marmatiei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Sighetu Marmatiei. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Sighetu Marmatiei and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Sighetu Marmatiei and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $396 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sighetu Marmatiei but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sighetu Marmatiei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Sighetu Marmatiei and Barcelona?
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.
Is Sighetu Marmatiei or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Sighetu Marmatiei 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.
Where should expats move: Sighetu Marmatiei or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Sighetu Marmatiei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Sighetu Marmatiei vs other spots: cost of living compared

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