Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baia Mare and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $935 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index
68

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

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Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Baia Mare versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Baia Mare $935
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,452 in Baia Mare versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Baia Mare $1,452
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,969 in Baia Mare versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Baia Mare $1,969
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Baia Mare costs roughly 34% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baia Mare is 31% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.61 RON 60.1

$12.58 RON 60.0

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.99 RON 157

$54.8 RON 261

-39.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 RON 38.92

$9.59 RON 45.74

-14.91%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.86

$3.78 RON 18.00

-45.24%

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

$1.81 RON 8.64

$2.30 RON 10.98

-21.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 RON 6.63

$2.22 RON 10.59

-37.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 RON 7.67

$3.32 RON 15.81

-51.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 RON 10.23

$4.20 RON 20.01

-48.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RON 6.91

$1.60 RON 7.64

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.70

$1.44 RON 6.87

-2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.33

$1.69 RON 8.07

-8.88%

Eggs

$2.82 RON 13.45

$3.76 RON 17.90

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 RON 28.24

$9.07 RON 43.22

-34.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.50

$7.14 RON 34.03

-4.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.77 RON 51.3

$11.46 RON 54.6

-6.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.16

$1.39 RON 6.61

-22.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.99

$1.58 RON 7.54

-6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.52

$1.88 RON 8.97

-27.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 RON 12.45

$2.37 RON 11.29

10.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.39

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.16

$0.90 RON 4.28

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 RON 5.30

$0.90 RON 4.31

23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$1.01 RON 4.80

-19.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 RON 29.15

$6.42 RON 30.61

-4.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 RON 21.53

$7.41 RON 35.33

-39.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 RON 4.98

$1.25 RON 5.94

-16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.72

$1.73 RON 8.25

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$0.76 RON 3.62

-6.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.38 RON 68.6

$44.23 RON 211

-67.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.84 RON 3.98

-8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 RON 3.55

$0.96 RON 4.59

-21.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 RON 28.34

$8.27 RON 39.41

-28.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 RON 8.27

$1.94 RON 9.24

-10.82%

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

$28.5K RON 136.0K

$28.3K RON 135.0K

0.73%

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

$25.2K RON 119.9K

$24.7K RON 117.9K

1.70%

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

$102 RON 488

$151 RON 719

-32.16%

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

$15.11 RON 72.0

$8.44 RON 40.22

79.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.75 RON 56.0

$9.16 RON 43.68

28.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.40 RON 178

$47.36 RON 226

-21.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.21 RON 77.3

$22.01 RON 105

-26.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 RON 47.70

$9.35 RON 44.59

7.06%

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

$520 RON 2,480

$577 RON 2,751

-9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,441 RON 25.9K

$9,450 RON 45.0K

-42.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.34 RON 178

$87.1 RON 415

-57.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.05 RON 200

$44.26 RON 211

-4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.3 RON 297

$98.8 RON 471

-36.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.7 RON 356

$107 RON 509

-30.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 RON 1,753

$668 RON 3,186

-44.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$255 RON 1,215

$536 RON 2,554

-52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 RON 2,774

$1,227 RON 5,847

-52.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 RON 2,096

$807 RON 3,849

-45.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,187 RON 10.4K

$4,568 RON 21.8K

-52.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,477 RON 7,041

$3,342 RON 15.9K

-55.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$853 RON 4,069

$1,241 RON 5,914

-31.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.48

6.65

12.48%

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

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baia Mare

$255 27.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 110% $281

Groceries & Markets

Baia Mare

$199 21.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 15.3% $31

Eating Out

Baia Mare

$175 18.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 24.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baia Mare

$129 13.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 30.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Baia Mare

$97 10.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 55.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Baia Mare

$57 6.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 15.1% $8.7

Getting Around

Baia Mare

$22 2.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 144% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $368 in Baia Mare and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 45% 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: $33 in Baia Mare vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $230 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

Same time as Baia Mare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,738

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Baia Mare Cluj-Napoca 99 km

From you

Baia Mare
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

Baia Mare vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Baia Mare. 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: $368 in Baia Mare versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $520 in Baia Mare versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Cluj-Napoca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Baia Mare and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.