Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alba Iulia and in Cluj-Napoca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Alba Iulia $901
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Alba Iulia versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Alba Iulia $1,378
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Alba Iulia versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Alba Iulia $1,855
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 37% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alba Iulia is 34% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 RON 41.14

$12.58 RON 60.2

-31.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RON 148

$54.8 RON 262

-43.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 RON 28.13

$9.59 RON 45.90

-38.69%

Cappuccino

$2.28 RON 10.90

$3.78 RON 18.07

-39.68%

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

$1.75 RON 8.39

$2.30 RON 11.02

-23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 RON 7.09

$2.22 RON 10.63

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 RON 9.41

$3.32 RON 15.87

-40.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.74

$4.20 RON 20.08

-51.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.88

$1.60 RON 7.67

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.18

$1.44 RON 6.90

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.83

$1.69 RON 8.10

-15.38%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.88

$3.76 RON 17.97

-28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 36.00

$9.07 RON 43.38

-16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 RON 28.84

$7.14 RON 34.15

-15.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.7

$11.46 RON 54.8

-5.76%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.42

$1.39 RON 6.63

-33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.26

$1.58 RON 7.56

-17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.03

$1.88 RON 9.00

-32.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 RON 11.14

$2.37 RON 11.33

-1.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.43

$0.92 RON 4.41

-21.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 RON 2.82

$0.90 RON 4.30

-34.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$0.90 RON 4.32

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.01 RON 4.81

-39.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 RON 24.77

$6.42 RON 30.72

-19.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.46

$7.41 RON 35.46

-42.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.34

$1.25 RON 5.96

-10.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.09

$1.73 RON 8.28

-26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.58

$0.76 RON 3.63

-1.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 81.2

$44.23 RON 212

-61.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.84 RON 4.00

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 3.01

$0.96 RON 4.60

-34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 RON 21.37

$8.27 RON 39.56

-45.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.17

$1.94 RON 9.27

-22.68%

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

$28.8K RON 137.7K

$28.3K RON 135.5K

1.63%

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

$23.7K RON 113.6K

$24.7K RON 118.4K

-4.05%

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

$125 RON 596

$151 RON 722

-17.45%

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

$7.31 RON 34.96

$8.44 RON 40.37

-13.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 RON 43.09

$9.16 RON 43.84

-1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 RON 141

$47.36 RON 227

-37.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 148

$22.01 RON 105

40.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 RON 24.33

$9.35 RON 44.75

-45.56%

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

$435 RON 2,083

$577 RON 2,761

-24.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,969 RON 33.3K

$9,450 RON 45.2K

-26.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.02 RON 182

$87.1 RON 417

-56.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.94 RON 115

$44.26 RON 212

-45.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 RON 353

$98.8 RON 473

-25.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 RON 295

$107 RON 511

-42.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,416

$668 RON 3,197

-55.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,354

$536 RON 2,563

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 RON 2,928

$1,227 RON 5,868

-50.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,288

$807 RON 3,863

-40.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 RON 7,859

$4,568 RON 21.9K

-64.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,401 RON 6,702

$3,342 RON 16.0K

-58.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 RON 4,321

$1,241 RON 5,935

-27.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.65

4.81%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 89.3% $253

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 24.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 19.6% $28

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 54.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 70.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 66.3% $26

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 123% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Alba Iulia and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 37% 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: $31 in Alba Iulia vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $230 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alba Iulia Cluj-Napoca 78 km

From you

Alba Iulia
Cluj-Napoca

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

Alba Iulia vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Alba Iulia. 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: $296 in Alba Iulia versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $901 per month in Alba Iulia versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca – Alba Iulia is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 62% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia 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, Alba Iulia and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.