Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamako and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $899 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
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Bamako Living Index
68

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

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Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$899

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $899 in Bamako versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca.

Bamako $899
Cluj-Napoca $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Bamako versus $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca.

Bamako $1,467
Cluj-Napoca $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,034 in Bamako versus $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca.

Bamako $2,034
Cluj-Napoca $2,831

Living in Bamako costs roughly 36% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bamako is 34% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 F CFA 5,042

$12.53 RON 59.3

-30.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.32 F CFA 20.6K

$54.5 RON 258

-35.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 F CFA 4,678

$9.73 RON 46.01

-17.57%

Cappuccino

$1.66 F CFA 967

$3.68 RON 17.42

-54.89%

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

$0.97 F CFA 567

$2.31 RON 10.92

-58.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 F CFA 405

$2.31 RON 10.93

-70.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 F CFA 1,376

$3.22 RON 15.24

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

$4.26 RON 20.14

395.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 F CFA 1,120

$1.63 RON 7.69

17.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 F CFA 2,218

$1.43 RON 6.78

165.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

Eggs

$6.07 F CFA 3,537

$3.82 RON 18.08

58.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 F CFA 10.2K

$9.16 RON 43.34

90.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 F CFA 9,284

$7.08 RON 33.50

124.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 F CFA 7,342

$11.76 RON 55.7

7.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 F CFA 2,397

$1.40 RON 6.64

193.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 F CFA 595

$1.70 RON 8.03

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 F CFA 1,689

$1.89 RON 8.96

53.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 F CFA 1,204

$2.42 RON 11.43

-14.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 F CFA 728

$0.92 RON 4.36

35.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 F CFA 664

$0.88 RON 4.15

29.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.09 F CFA 51.0

$0.97 RON 4.59

-90.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 F CFA 1,633

$0.97 RON 4.61

188.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 F CFA 916

$1.26 RON 5.96

24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 F CFA 973

$1.70 RON 8.05

-1.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 F CFA 729

$0.93 RON 4.40

34.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 F CFA 655

$1.92 RON 9.08

-41.67%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

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

$152 F CFA 88.5K

$156 RON 739

-2.79%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 F CFA 38.6K

$9.61 RON 45.46

588.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 F CFA 40.6K

$46.29 RON 219

50.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

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

$587 RON 2,775

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 F CFA 102.4K

$623 RON 2,950

-71.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.4 F CFA 46.9K

$529 RON 2,502

-84.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 F CFA 293.1K

$1,143 RON 5,407

-56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 F CFA 176.2K

$820 RON 3,881

-63.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 F CFA 733.7K

$3,358 RON 15.9K

-62.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 F CFA 155.2K

$1,261 RON 5,964

-78.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

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

Last update for Bamako: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bamako

$351 * 39.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5% 33.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamako

$218 * 24.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4% 19.9% $43

Eating Out

Bamako

$174 19.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3% 24.7% $43

Accommodation & Living

Bamako

$80 8.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5% 558% $448

Sport & Entertainment

Bamako

$70 * 7.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 6.8% $4.7

Getting Around

Bamako

$6.3 * 0.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 531% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bamako

- * 0%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Bamako and $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 374% 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: $35.00 in Bamako vs $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $233, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Bamako

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

13:14 1:14 PM

3 h ahead of Bamako

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,809,106 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bamako Cluj-Napoca 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bamako
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

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

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Cluj-Napoca. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 374% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $176 in Bamako versus $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $899 per month in Bamako versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Cluj-Napoca pay roughly 51% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $899 in Bamako versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bamako but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Bamako the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bamako delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $899 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bamako hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bamako 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 Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.