Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,382 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
68

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

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca.

Austin, TX $2,704
Cluj-Napoca $1,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,085 in Cluj-Napoca.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cluj-Napoca $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,787 in Cluj-Napoca.

Austin, TX $5,562
Cluj-Napoca $2,787

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 96% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Cluj-Napoca 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$12.81 RON 61.0

57.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$56.4 RON 269

50.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$9.34 RON 44.50

32.23%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.73 RON 17.80

46.65%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.33 RON 11.09

63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.30 RON 10.95

8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.19 RON 15.22

152.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.30 RON 20.51

109.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.63 RON 7.75

-30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.52 RON 7.24

148.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.75 RON 8.35

85.71%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.86 RON 18.40

7.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.35 RON 44.57

39.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$7.28 RON 34.70

96.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.45 RON 54.6

39.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.43 RON 6.83

206.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.64 RON 7.84

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.89 RON 8.99

140.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.50 RON 11.91

67.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.97 RON 4.63

171.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.91 RON 4.35

159.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.98 RON 4.68

79.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.02 RON 4.86

111.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$6.12 RON 29.14

60.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.37 RON 35.11

99.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.28 RON 6.11

117.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.73 RON 8.22

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.77 RON 3.66

93.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$30.49 RON 145

32.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.86 RON 4.10

210.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.00 RON 4.74

58.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.42 RON 40.12

319.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.93 RON 9.22

-48.70%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.2K RON 134.3K

27.05%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.9K RON 118.7K

9.13%

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

$219 $219

$157 RON 748

39.65%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$8.59 RON 40.94

575.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$9.79 RON 46.65

598.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$47.00 RON 224

23.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$22.48 RON 107

-34.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$9.65 RON 45.99

46.42%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$591 RON 2,815

155.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,697 RON 46.2K

121.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$87.2 RON 416

-40.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$45.80 RON 218

-3.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$101 RON 480

-15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$109 RON 521

-3.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$630 RON 3,003

206.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$519 RON 2,475

144.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,163 RON 5,540

215.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$829 RON 3,951

204.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,711 RON 22.5K

61.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,394 RON 16.2K

-5.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,223 RON 5,826

317.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.8

-0.15%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9% 59.2% $753

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7% 41.6% $168

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 37.3% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5% 49.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11% 19.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7% 23.1% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 30.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $630 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 318% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $235 per month, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

324,576

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cluj-Napoca 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cluj-Napoca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 318% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $630 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cluj-Napoca runs roughly 33% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cluj-Napoca but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cluj-Napoca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cluj-Napoca delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,382 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cluj-Napoca hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Cluj-Napoca 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 Cluj-Napoca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.