Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
68

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

Jump to prices

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arad 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 Arad and in Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $873 per month in Arad vs $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Arad $873
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Arad vs $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Arad $1,366
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Arad vs $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Arad $1,858
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Arad is about 38% cheaper than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arad sits 35% below the global median, while Cluj-Napoca is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 RON 38.63

$12.77 RON 60.4

-36.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 RON 153

$54.8 RON 259

-40.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$9.60 RON 45.41

-25.52%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.45

$3.63 RON 17.18

-27.55%

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

$1.48 RON 7.00

$2.31 RON 10.92

-35.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.53

$2.33 RON 11.01

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.15

$3.27 RON 15.47

-34.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 RON 11.71

$4.27 RON 20.21

-41.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$1.53 RON 7.26

-26.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 RON 5.76

$1.51 RON 7.13

-19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.16

$1.81 RON 8.55

-4.97%

Eggs

$2.57 RON 12.17

$3.86 RON 18.28

-33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.17 RON 33.94

$9.15 RON 43.28

-21.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 RON 23.03

$7.28 RON 34.45

-33.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 RON 47.93

$11.73 RON 55.5

-13.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.42 RON 6.70

12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.69 RON 8.00

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.02

$1.95 RON 9.21

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.60

$2.39 RON 11.30

-41.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$0.94 RON 4.44

-19.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$0.90 RON 4.26

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 RON 5.60

$0.90 RON 4.25

31.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$1.01 RON 4.79

-23.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 RON 28.14

$6.11 RON 28.89

-2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 RON 27.10

$7.36 RON 34.84

-22.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.29 RON 6.08

-5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.40

$1.77 RON 8.38

0.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.11

$0.70 RON 3.29

24.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.34 RON 139

$30.67 RON 145

-4.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.71

$0.89 RON 4.22

-11.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.92 RON 4.37

16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 RON 49.22

$8.39 RON 39.71

23.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.90 RON 9.00

-3.16%

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

$27.8K RON 131.8K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

-0.56%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

0.51%

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

$125 RON 590

$153 RON 725

-18.70%

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

$8.19 RON 38.74

$8.59 RON 40.64

-4.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 RON 34.42

$9.77 RON 46.24

-25.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.12 RON 161

$46.15 RON 218

-26.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 146

$22.53 RON 107

36.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 RON 24.91

$9.32 RON 44.09

-43.45%

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

$159 RON 752

$587 RON 2,780

-72.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,847 RON 18.2K

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-59.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.29 RON 200

$88.5 RON 419

-52.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.47 RON 102

$45.73 RON 216

-53.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 RON 335

$101 RON 479

-29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 RON 343

$108 RON 512

-32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 RON 1,571

$622 RON 2,941

-46.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 RON 1,052

$524 RON 2,480

-57.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,505

$1,147 RON 5,429

-53.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 RON 1,951

$806 RON 3,816

-48.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,420 RON 6,719

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-69.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,062 RON 5,027

$3,348 RON 15.8K

-68.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,349

$1,234 RON 5,837

-25.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

6.8

8.09%

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

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$222 25.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 136% $302

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$188 21.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 24.6% $46

Eating Out

Arad

$146 16.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 48.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 16%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 22.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$93 10.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 65.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$45 5.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 45.1% $20

Getting Around

Arad

$39 4.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Arad versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 34% higher in Cluj-Napoca, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad versus $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $234 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

Same time as Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Cluj-Napoca 190 km

From you

Arad
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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

Arad vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca costs about 61% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,310 per month in Arad and $2,109 in Cluj-Napoca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad and $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $873 in Arad and $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,406. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cluj-Napoca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cluj-Napoca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.