Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,133 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
Learn more

Romania Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Romania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Spain versus $1,133 in Romania.

Spain $1,775
Romania $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Spain versus $1,691 in Romania.

Spain $2,606
Romania $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Spain versus $2,250 in Romania.

Spain $3,438
Romania $2,250

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $742–$1,423 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Spain is roughly 57% more expensive than in Romania on average.

Spain (30% above) and Romania (17% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.96

$10.41 RON 49.80

60.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.91

$41.28 RON 198

34.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$7.27 RON 34.77

56.40%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.17

$2.72 RON 13.01

-11.03%

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

$2.68 €2.40

$2.02 RON 9.65

32.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.67 RON 7.98

7.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.25 RON 10.76

52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.47

$3.21 RON 15.35

20.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.53 RON 7.30

-21.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.15 RON 5.50

28.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.59 RON 7.59

5.03%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$3.23 RON 15.47

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.70

$8.03 RON 38.43

76.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$6.39 RON 30.56

30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.52

$10.22 RON 48.91

58.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.21 RON 5.81

102.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.54 RON 7.35

31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.54 RON 7.39

35.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.10 RON 10.06

22.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.78 RON 3.75

134.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$0.86 RON 4.13

132.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.84 RON 4.03

55.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.84 RON 4.02

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.70

$6.05 RON 28.94

5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.06

$6.11 RON 29.25

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.10 RON 5.24

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.57 RON 7.51

33.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.72 RON 3.43

127.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.49

$23.15 RON 111

42.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.97

$0.80 RON 3.82

453.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.72 RON 3.47

104.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.39

$7.00 RON 33.50

256.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.78 RON 8.53

-0.56%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$28.7K RON 137.5K

23.62%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$25.3K RON 121.3K

20.76%

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

$149 €134

$160 RON 763

-6.43%

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

$17.67 €15.84

$7.98 RON 38.17

121.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.57

$8.83 RON 42.27

261.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.64

$40.42 RON 193

9.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.70

$18.47 RON 88.4

-17.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.66

$7.35 RON 35.17

31.43%

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

$544 €488

$473 RON 2,265

14.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,504

$8,477 RON 40.6K

25.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.1

$69.5 RON 333

22.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.26

$37.71 RON 180

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.9

$79.6 RON 381

12.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$84.3 RON 403

25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €947

$503 RON 2,408

109.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €724

$375 RON 1,796

115.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,453

$776 RON 3,712

108.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,117

$579 RON 2,768

115.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,706

$2,539 RON 12.1K

62.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,359

$1,819 RON 8,701

44.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,791

$1,001 RON 4,787

99.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.98

-52.72%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

Romania

$375 33.2% 53.5% $432

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Romania

$203 17.9% 25.2% $69

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Romania

$170 15% 28.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Romania

$176 15.6% 11.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Romania

$122 10.8% 14.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Romania

$55 4.9% 13.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Romania

$30 2.7% 40.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $920 in Spain, $387 in Romania. Capital cities: $1,508 in Madrid vs $711 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $857 in Romania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 138% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 39% more in Spain.

Public transport is 41% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are about 2.3 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

19,053,815

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Spain Romania 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Romania

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

Spain vs Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,133 per month in Romania and $1,775 in Spain, Romania comes out about 36% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Romania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $920 in Spain and $387 in Romania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Romania, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Romania wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.