Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zărnești and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Zărnești versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Zărnești $889
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,383 in Zărnești versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Zărnești $1,383
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,877 in Zărnești versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Zărnești $1,877
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Zărnești costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zărnești is 34% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 RON 42.60

$17.89 €15.92

-49.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.40 RON 201

$66.2 €58.9

-35.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 RON 39.57

$13.69 €12.18

-38.93%

Cappuccino

$2.18 RON 10.34

$3.06 €2.72

-28.76%

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

$1.46 RON 6.90

$3.07 €2.73

-52.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$1.94 €1.73

-38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$3.87 €3.44

-50.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RON 10.79

$4.61 €4.10

-50.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.30 €1.16

-2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$2.10 €1.87

-49.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.81

$1.83 €1.62

-21.31%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.20

$4.62 €4.11

-39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 RON 37.33

$17.36 €15.44

-54.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 RON 22.42

$9.28 €8.25

-48.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 RON 49.21

$19.83 €17.64

-47.55%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.41

$3.01 €2.68

-69.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.30

$2.03 €1.81

-34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$2.65 €2.36

-52.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$2.87 €2.55

-55.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$2.16 €1.92

-63.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$2.15 €1.91

-75.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.47 €1.31

-45.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.88 €0.79

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 RON 24.37

$6.93 €6.16

-25.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.09

$7.83 €6.96

-5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.08

$1.39 €1.24

-23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.12

$2.63 €2.34

-50.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

$2.91 €2.59

-75.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 RON 101

$25.46 €22.64

-16.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$3.00 €2.66

-70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$1.44 €1.28

-40.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 RON 35.26

$33.20 €29.53

-77.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 RON 7.16

$1.86 €1.65

-18.82%

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

$28.5K RON 134.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-11.85%

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

$26.0K RON 122.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

-18.07%

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

$99.0 RON 468

$183 €163

-45.86%

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

$9.28 RON 43.89

$13.61 €12.11

-31.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.00 RON 37.86

$32.93 €29.29

-75.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 RON 179

$54.7 €48.65

-30.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 RON 91.9

$16.52 €14.70

17.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 RON 29.55

$11.23 €9.99

-44.43%

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

$429 RON 2,031

$954 €849

-55.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,733 RON 36.6K

$16.6K €14.8K

-53.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 RON 210

$86.0 €76.5

-48.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.26 RON 129

$39.11 €34.78

-30.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 RON 326

$104 €92.2

-33.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 RON 363

$119 €106

-35.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 RON 2,054

$1,695 €1,508

-74.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 RON 1,258

$1,276 €1,135

-79.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 RON 2,727

$2,576 €2,291

-77.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 RON 2,008

$1,922 €1,710

-77.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 RON 8,283

$7,281 €6,477

-75.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,288

$5,010 €4,456

-73.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 RON 2,415

$2,227 €1,981

-77.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

3.28

127.74%

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

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zărnești

$266 29.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 380% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Zărnești

$182 20.4%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 79% $143

Eating Out

Zărnești

$148 16.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 82.1% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zărnești

$116 13.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 97.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Zărnești

$98 11%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 59.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Zărnești

$50 5.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 53.4% $27

Getting Around

Zărnești

$29 3.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 61.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $434 in Zărnești and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 336% 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: $42.00 in Zărnești vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $325 per month, with Zărnești cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

1 h behind Zărnești

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,926

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 23, 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 23, 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

Zărnești Barcelona 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Zărnești
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

Zărnești vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zărnești and Barcelona differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($889 vs $2,381 including rent). Zărnești is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 336% 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: $434 in Zărnești versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $429 in Zărnești versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $889 in Zărnești versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zărnești but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zărnești 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, Zărnești 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 Zărnești gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.