Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banska Bystrica and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living costs are similar in Banska Bystrica and in Cluj-Napoca: $1,347 and $1,406 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Banska Bystrica
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Banska Bystrica Living Index
68

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

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Banska Bystrica

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,347

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,347 per month in Banska Bystrica vs $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Banska Bystrica $1,347
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Banska Bystrica vs $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Banska Bystrica $1,904
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

A family of three spends $2,460 per month in Banska Bystrica vs $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Banska Bystrica $2,460
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Banska Bystrica is about 4% cheaper than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Banska Bystrica and Cluj-Napoca sit above the global median – Banska Bystrica by 0%, Cluj-Napoca by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.36 €6.55

$12.77 RON 60.4

-42.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.76 €22.91

$54.8 RON 259

-53.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 €6.87

$9.60 RON 45.41

-19.58%

Cappuccino

$1.97 €1.75

$3.63 RON 17.18

-45.73%

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

$1.75 €1.55

$2.31 RON 10.92

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.33 RON 11.01

-49.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.27 RON 15.47

-40.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$4.27 RON 20.21

-48.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.53 RON 7.26

-39.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.51 RON 7.13

-34.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.81 RON 8.55

-2.76%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$3.86 RON 18.28

-12.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.89 €7.91

$9.15 RON 43.28

-2.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 €5.61

$7.28 RON 34.45

-13.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 €8.27

$11.73 RON 55.5

-20.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.42 RON 6.70

40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.69 RON 8.00

-1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.95 RON 9.21

6.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 €3.96

$2.39 RON 11.30

86.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.94 RON 4.44

25.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.90 RON 4.26

25.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.90 RON 4.25

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$1.01 RON 4.79

-48.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 €4.90

$6.11 RON 28.89

-9.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$7.36 RON 34.84

-25.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.29 RON 6.08

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.77 RON 8.38

-11.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.70 RON 3.29

62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.19 €19.74

$30.67 RON 145

-27.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.89 RON 4.22

222.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.92 RON 4.37

84.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.11 €19.67

$8.39 RON 39.71

163.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.90 RON 9.00

-7.89%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

-6.17%

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

$22.3K €19.8K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

-10.17%

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

$257 €228

$153 RON 725

67.51%

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

$20.89 €18.58

$8.59 RON 40.64

143.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.32 €18.96

$9.77 RON 46.24

118.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.17

$46.15 RON 218

10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.45 €25.30

$22.53 RON 107

26.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 €7.03

$9.32 RON 44.09

-15.24%

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

$325 €289

$587 RON 2,780

-44.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,775 €7,806

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-7.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 €65.3

$88.5 RON 419

-17.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.11 €37.45

$45.73 RON 216

-7.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.6

$101 RON 479

-10.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 €64.7

$108 RON 512

-32.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$622 RON 2,941

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 €422

$524 RON 2,480

-9.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €934

$1,147 RON 5,429

-8.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 €650

$806 RON 3,816

-9.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,603 €4,094

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-2.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,307

$3,348 RON 15.8K

11.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,077 €958

$1,234 RON 5,837

-12.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

6.8

-42.94%

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

Last update for Banska Bystrica: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Banska Bystrica

$475 35.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 10.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banska Bystrica

$299 22.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 42.6% $127

Groceries & Markets

Banska Bystrica

$212 15.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 10.5% $22

Eating Out

Banska Bystrica

$131 9.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 65.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Banska Bystrica

$126 9.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 23.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Banska Bystrica

$67 4.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 2.7% $1.8

Getting Around

Banska Bystrica

$38 2.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 2.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $624 in Banska Bystrica versus $622 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 15% 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 $26.00 in Banska Bystrica versus $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $234 – making Banska Bystrica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Banska Bystrica

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

1 h ahead of Banska Bystrica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,466

324,576

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Banska Bystrica Cluj-Napoca 400 km

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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

Banska Bystrica vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,347 in Banska Bystrica, $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,021 per month in Banska Bystrica and $2,109 in Cluj-Napoca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Banska Bystrica, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,347 in Banska Bystrica and $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Banska Bystrica. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Banska Bystrica, where all-in costs run around $1,347, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,406. In Banska Bystrica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cluj-Napoca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cluj-Napoca has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,347 in Banska Bystrica to $1,406 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 Banska Bystrica. 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.