Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $1,197 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alba Iulia and in Timisoara

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 Timisoara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,197 in Timisoara.

Alba Iulia $901
Timisoara $1,197

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Alba Iulia versus $1,776 in Timisoara.

Alba Iulia $1,378
Timisoara $1,776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Alba Iulia versus $2,354 in Timisoara.

Alba Iulia $1,855
Timisoara $2,354

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 25% less than in Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Alba Iulia 34% lower, Timisoara 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 RON 41.09

$10.64 RON 50.9

-19.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RON 148

$46.12 RON 220

-32.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 RON 28.09

$8.44 RON 40.33

-30.33%

Cappuccino

$2.28 RON 10.89

$3.02 RON 14.43

-24.50%

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

$1.75 RON 8.38

$2.20 RON 10.53

-20.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 RON 7.09

$1.64 RON 7.85

-9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 RON 9.40

$2.70 RON 12.92

-27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.73

$4.10 RON 19.61

-50.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.87

$1.37 RON 6.56

-10.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.17

$1.20 RON 5.73

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.82

$1.38 RON 6.59

3.62%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.86

$2.92 RON 13.94

-7.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 35.96

$8.40 RON 40.16

-10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 RON 28.80

$5.88 RON 28.11

2.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.6

$10.89 RON 52.0

-0.83%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.41

$1.15 RON 5.50

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.25

$1.46 RON 6.98

-10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.02

$1.40 RON 6.69

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 RON 11.13

$2.37 RON 11.34

-1.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.77 RON 3.68

-6.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 RON 2.82

$0.96 RON 4.59

-38.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.15

$0.64 RON 3.06

35.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.78 RON 3.75

-21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 RON 24.74

$6.25 RON 29.85

-17.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.44

$7.46 RON 35.67

-42.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.33

$1.14 RON 5.43

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.08

$1.75 RON 8.36

-27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.58

$1.07 RON 5.11

-29.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 81.1

$33.33 RON 159

-49.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.84 RON 4.03

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 3.01

$0.87 RON 4.15

-27.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 RON 21.34

$8.40 RON 40.14

-46.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.16

$1.90 RON 9.09

-21.05%

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

$28.8K RON 137.6K

$28.9K RON 138.0K

-0.30%

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

$23.7K RON 113.4K

$24.8K RON 118.3K

-4.09%

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

$125 RON 595

$168 RON 802

-25.76%

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

$7.31 RON 34.92

$6.72 RON 32.11

8.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 RON 43.04

$8.47 RON 40.47

6.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 RON 141

$40.08 RON 192

-26.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 147

$15.65 RON 74.8

97.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 RON 24.30

$7.86 RON 37.57

-35.24%

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

$435 RON 2,080

$583 RON 2,785

-25.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,969 RON 33.3K

$8,900 RON 42.5K

-21.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.02 RON 182

$75.7 RON 362

-49.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.94 RON 114

$38.89 RON 186

-38.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 RON 353

$75.5 RON 361

-2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 RON 295

$89.3 RON 427

-30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,414

$568 RON 2,713

-47.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,352

$404 RON 1,929

-29.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 RON 2,924

$802 RON 3,832

-23.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,285

$600 RON 2,865

-20.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 RON 7,849

$2,656 RON 12.7K

-38.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,401 RON 6,694

$1,847 RON 8,826

-24.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 RON 4,315

$1,151 RON 5,501

-21.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.88

1.31%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4%

Timisoara

$404 33.7% 42.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5%

Timisoara

$202 16.9% 9.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Timisoara

$183 15.3% 29.9% $42

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Timisoara

$184 15.4% 30.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9%

Timisoara

$126 10.5% 41.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4%

Timisoara

$56 4.7% 40.5% $16

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Timisoara

$43 3.6% 80.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Alba Iulia and $568 in Timisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 27% 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 $46 in Timisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $202 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

Same time as Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

319,279

💱 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

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Alba Iulia Timisoara 180 km

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Alba Iulia
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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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $568 in Timisoara. 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 $1,197 in Timisoara – Alba Iulia is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 49% less than in Timisoara. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,197 in Timisoara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Timisoara. 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 Timisoara 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 25% less than in Timisoara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.