Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index
68

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

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Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Bacau $916
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Bacau is about 36% cheaper than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bacau sits 33% below the global median, while Cluj-Napoca is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 68.2

$12.58 RON 60.5

12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 407

$54.8 RON 263

54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.80

$9.59 RON 46.11

-24.50%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.81

$3.78 RON 18.15

-46.03%

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

$2.01 RON 9.64

$2.30 RON 11.07

-12.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.98

$2.22 RON 10.68

-15.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.88

$3.32 RON 15.94

-25.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 16.03

$4.20 RON 20.17

-20.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.68

$1.60 RON 7.70

-26.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$1.44 RON 6.93

-51.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.12

$1.69 RON 8.14

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.67

$3.76 RON 18.05

-7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.91

$9.07 RON 43.57

-15.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.61

$7.14 RON 34.30

-25.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.88

$11.46 RON 55.1

-27.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.27

$1.39 RON 6.66

-20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.12

$1.58 RON 7.60

-6.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.14

$1.88 RON 9.04

-20.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.80

$2.37 RON 11.38

-22.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.48

$0.92 RON 4.43

-21.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.29

$0.90 RON 4.32

-24.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.58

$0.90 RON 4.34

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$1.01 RON 4.84

-28.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.71

$6.42 RON 30.86

-16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.24

$7.41 RON 35.62

-29.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.90

$1.25 RON 5.98

-18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.64

$1.73 RON 8.31

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$0.76 RON 3.65

-7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 140

$44.23 RON 213

-34.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$0.84 RON 4.01

-27.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.12

$0.96 RON 4.62

-32.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.31

$8.27 RON 39.74

-18.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$1.94 RON 9.32

-8.25%

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

$28.9K RON 138.9K

$28.3K RON 136.1K

2.00%

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

$24.8K RON 119.4K

$24.7K RON 118.9K

0.41%

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

$106 RON 509

$151 RON 725

-29.76%

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

$7.47 RON 35.90

$8.44 RON 40.55

-11.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.25

$9.16 RON 44.04

-49.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 122

$47.36 RON 228

-46.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.8

$22.01 RON 106

-27.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.25

$9.35 RON 44.95

-34.87%

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

$589 RON 2,830

$577 RON 2,774

2.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 24.0K

$9,450 RON 45.4K

-47.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 409

$87.1 RON 419

-2.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 154

$44.26 RON 213

-27.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 290

$98.8 RON 475

-39.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 400

$107 RON 513

-22.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,999

$668 RON 3,212

-37.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,135

$536 RON 2,575

-55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,636

$1,227 RON 5,895

-55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,945

$807 RON 3,881

-49.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,673

$4,568 RON 22.0K

-60.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,905

$3,342 RON 16.1K

-63.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,501

$1,241 RON 5,962

-24.51%

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 Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 127% $300

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 12.1% $24

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 30.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 42.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 29.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 76.3% $29

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 47.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $668 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 32% 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 $85 in Bacau versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $230 in Cluj-Napoca – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

Same time as Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bacau Cluj-Napoca 250 km

From you

Bacau
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

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

Yes – Cluj-Napoca is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau and $2,134 in Cluj-Napoca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau and $55 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 $916 in Bacau and $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca. That’s a gap of about 55%.

It depends on your priorities. Cluj-Napoca has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Bacau to $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bacau. 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.