Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,145 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,145

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,145 in Timisoara versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Timisoara $1,145
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Timisoara versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Timisoara $1,760
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,374 in Timisoara versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Timisoara $2,374
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Timisoara costs roughly 52% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Timisoara is 15% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.28 RON 48.66

$17.94 €15.96

-42.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.90 RON 222

$68.1 €60.5

-31.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 RON 40.56

$13.28 €11.81

-35.47%

Cappuccino

$3.03 RON 14.35

$3.25 €2.89

-6.77%

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

$2.18 RON 10.33

$3.01 €2.67

-27.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.49

$1.87 €1.66

-15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 RON 13.06

$3.85 €3.42

-28.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.24

$4.48 €3.98

-4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.29 €1.15

6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 RON 5.65

$2.04 €1.81

-41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RON 6.25

$1.72 €1.53

-23.26%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.69

$4.77 €4.24

-39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 RON 39.82

$16.77 €14.92

-49.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 27.84

$8.93 €7.94

-34.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.25 RON 53.2

$19.88 €17.68

-43.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$2.98 €2.65

-61.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.11

$2.03 €1.80

-26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.73 €2.43

-46.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.45

$2.68 €2.38

-9.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.69

$2.10 €1.87

-62.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$2.08 €1.85

-55.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$1.45 €1.29

-52.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.89 €0.79

-12.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.36

$6.94 €6.17

-10.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 RON 35.52

$7.78 €6.92

-3.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.45 €1.29

-21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.34

$2.57 €2.29

-31.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$2.99 €2.66

-64.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.44 RON 158

$25.20 €22.41

32.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$3.12 €2.77

-74.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$1.44 €1.28

-40.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 RON 38.56

$33.50 €29.80

-75.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RON 8.83

$1.79 €1.59

4.47%

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

$28.5K RON 135.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

-17.64%

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

$23.5K RON 111.2K

$30.1K €26.7K

-21.82%

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

$170 RON 802

$178 €158

-4.68%

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

$6.75 RON 31.94

$13.32 €11.85

-49.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.48 RON 40.12

$34.88 €31.03

-75.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.51 RON 182

$53.3 €47.37

-27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 RON 75.9

$16.01 €14.24

0.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 RON 37.48

$11.06 €9.84

-28.39%

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

$574 RON 2,718

$957 €851

-39.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,658 RON 41.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

-47.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 RON 347

$88.2 €78.4

-16.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.81 RON 188

$39.49 €35.12

0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 RON 367

$103 €91.5

-24.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 RON 415

$121 €108

-27.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$527 RON 2,494

$1,653 €1,470

-68.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 RON 1,666

$1,302 €1,158

-72.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 RON 3,897

$2,557 €2,275

-67.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 RON 2,920

$1,915 €1,703

-67.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,554 RON 12.1K

$7,286 €6,481

-64.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 RON 8,752

$5,080 €4,519

-63.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,175 RON 5,557

$2,281 €2,029

-48.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

3.28

109.76%

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

Last update for Timisoara: 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

Timisoara

$352 30.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 270% $950

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 56.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$185 16.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 22.4% $41

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 48.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 26.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$54 4.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 38.7% $21

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 10.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $527 in Timisoara and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 94% 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: $47.00 in Timisoara vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $320 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

1 h behind Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Timisoara Barcelona 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Timisoara
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

Timisoara vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara and Barcelona differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($1,145 vs $2,399 including rent). Timisoara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 94% 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: $527 in Timisoara versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $574 in Timisoara 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 57% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,145 in Timisoara versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timisoara but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Timisoara 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, Timisoara 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 Timisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.