Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Romania Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Spain versus $1,038 in Romania.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,489 in Spain versus $1,597 in Romania.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,291 in Spain versus $2,155 in Romania.

Living in Spain is roughly 62% more expensive than in Romania on average.

Spain (23% above) and Romania (24% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $959 to $2,683, compared to $760–$1,501 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 €14.93

$10.79 RON 49.47

58.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 €49.86

$44.42 RON 204

28.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 €10.11

$7.70 RON 35.31

50.65%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.09

$2.93 RON 13.44

-18.09%

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

$2.73 €2.38

$2.07 RON 9.50

31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.65

$1.74 RON 7.99

8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 €3.11

$2.40 RON 11.00

48.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 €3.45

$3.25 RON 14.90

21.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.09

$1.60 RON 7.32

-21.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.34

$1.27 RON 5.81

21.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.42

$1.65 RON 7.56

-1.21%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.00

$3.45 RON 15.80

-0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 €12.56

$8.75 RON 40.13

64.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 €7.75

$6.62 RON 30.34

34.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.49 €14.37

$10.88 RON 49.87

51.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.17

$1.22 RON 5.60

104.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.85

$1.57 RON 7.20

35.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.94

$1.62 RON 7.41

37.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.22

$2.23 RON 10.24

13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.57

$0.82 RON 3.77

120.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.74

$0.91 RON 4.16

119.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.17

$0.90 RON 4.11

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.66

$0.84 RON 3.83

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.02

$6.33 RON 29.01

9.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €4.98

$6.55 RON 30.02

-12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.15

$1.17 RON 5.38

12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.71 RON 7.82

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.49

$0.75 RON 3.42

128.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.14 €30.61

$24.46 RON 112

43.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 €4.06

$0.86 RON 3.94

441.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.35

$0.80 RON 3.68

92.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.59 €22.29

$7.46 RON 34.18

243.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.84 RON 8.42

-4.35%

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

$36.2K €31.5K

$29.2K RON 134.0K

23.88%

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

$30.2K €26.3K

$26.1K RON 119.9K

15.49%

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

$155 €135

$166 RON 761

-6.85%

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

$18.12 €15.78

$8.19 RON 37.53

121.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.66 €28.45

$9.35 RON 42.87

249.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 €40.20

$42.38 RON 194

8.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 €13.63

$19.09 RON 87.5

-18.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 €8.72

$7.63 RON 34.98

31.19%

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

$560 €488

$502 RON 2,302

11.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,348

$8,806 RON 40.4K

21.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €75.9

$72.5 RON 332

20.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 €33.49

$39.91 RON 183

-3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €80.1

$84.8 RON 389

8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €94.3

$88.1 RON 404

22.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €908

$498 RON 2,285

109.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 €709

$365 RON 1,674

122.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 €1,418

$814 RON 3,731

99.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,086

$604 RON 2,767

106.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,266 €3,716

$2,597 RON 11.9K

64.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,607 €2,271

$1,887 RON 8,651

38.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,046 €1,782

$1,025 RON 4,701

99.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

6.99

-52.93%

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

Last update for Spain: September 14, 2026

Last update for Romania: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $932 in Spain, $391 in Romania. Capital cities: $1,567 in Madrid vs $716 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $2,029 in Spain, $896 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 34% more in Spain.

Public transport is 41% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 126% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

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 $1,131 per month in Romania and $1,821 in Spain, there's a 61% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Romania: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Spain is consistently higher than in Romania across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.