Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Miercurea Ciuc

For one person, living is cheaper in Miercurea Ciuc: $735 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Miercurea Ciuc
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Miercurea Ciuc Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Miercurea Ciuc

🇷🇴 Romania

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Miercurea Ciuc

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $735 in Miercurea Ciuc.

Austin, TX $2,663
Miercurea Ciuc $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,172 in Miercurea Ciuc.

Austin, TX $4,133
Miercurea Ciuc $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,609 in Miercurea Ciuc.

Austin, TX $5,603
Miercurea Ciuc $1,609

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 262% more expensive than in Miercurea Ciuc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Miercurea Ciuc is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.29 RON 29.78

230.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$20.86 RON 98.7

305.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.10 RON 28.85

101.97%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.72 RON 8.14

227.33%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.61 RON 7.63

131.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.39 RON 6.55

79.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.02 RON 9.56

298.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.94 RON 9.18

364.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.36 RON 6.45

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.14 RON 5.41

228.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.33 RON 6.28

145.11%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.39 RON 16.03

23.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.97 RON 37.72

61.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.57 RON 21.61

209.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.97 RON 37.72

103.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.71 RON 3.37

509.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.49 RON 7.05

-2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.49 RON 7.04

202.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.48 RON 11.75

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.66 RON 3.10

290.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.66 RON 3.10

256.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.40 RON 1.91

345.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.66 RON 3.11

236.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.08 RON 24.05

94.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.18 RON 24.52

191.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.95 RON 4.49

207.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.28 RON 6.04

170.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.83 RON 3.91

79.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.11 RON 99.9

97.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.97 RON 4.59

181.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.85 RON 4.03

95.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.57 RON 40.54

311.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.68 RON 7.96

-43.45%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

44.73%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.6K RON 116.4K

10.07%

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

$229 $229

$114 RON 540

100.55%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$5.37 RON 25.39

1005.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$5.08 RON 24.05

1276.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.21 RON 148

83.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.57 RON 50.0

54.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.77 RON 22.55

199.37%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$446 RON 2,109

237.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,729 RON 31.8K

218.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.42 RON 201

24.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.62 RON 78.6

163.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$68.6 RON 325

23.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.9 RON 392

24.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$185 RON 878

928.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$155 RON 731

724.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$414 RON 1,957

785.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$370 RON 1,750

586.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,476 RON 6,982

415.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,363 RON 6,447

131.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$691 RON 3,270

640.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.85

-0.88%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Miercurea Ciuc: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Miercurea Ciuc

$155 21% 87.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Miercurea Ciuc

$176 23.9% 56.5% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Miercurea Ciuc

$125 17% 65.2% $234

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Miercurea Ciuc

$115 15.7% 67.4% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Miercurea Ciuc

$95 12.9% 26% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Miercurea Ciuc

$41 5.5% 52.5% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Miercurea Ciuc

$30 4% 49.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $185 in Miercurea Ciuc. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 641% 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 $21.00 in Miercurea Ciuc for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $176 per month, with Miercurea Ciuc cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Miercurea Ciuc

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

00:07 12:07 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

38,966

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Miercurea Ciuc 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Miercurea Ciuc

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 Miercurea Ciuc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miercurea Ciuc wins on cost – living expenses run 262% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Miercurea Ciuc the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 641% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $185 in Miercurea Ciuc. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $735 in Miercurea Ciuc – a 262% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Miercurea Ciuc runs roughly 98% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $735 in Miercurea Ciuc versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Miercurea Ciuc but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Miercurea Ciuc 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, Austin, TX and Miercurea Ciuc 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 Miercurea Ciuc gentler on the wallet – expenses run 262% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.