Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,382 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
Learn more

Cluj-Napoca Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Cluj-Napoca $1,382

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $2,085 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Cluj-Napoca $2,085

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $2,787 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Cluj-Napoca $2,787

Belgrade costs about 11% more than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Belgrade and Cluj-Napoca sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Cluj-Napoca by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,392

$12.81 RON 61.0

4.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,099

$56.4 RON 269

3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,417

$9.34 RON 44.50

45.40%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 327

$3.73 RON 17.80

-16.09%

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

$2.77 RSD 289

$2.33 RON 11.09

18.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$2.30 RON 10.95

-1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 391

$3.19 RON 15.22

17.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 457

$4.30 RON 20.51

1.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.63 RON 7.75

-14.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.52 RON 7.24

-23.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 283

$1.75 RON 8.35

54.86%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.86 RON 18.40

-27.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,186

$9.35 RON 44.57

21.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 732

$7.28 RON 34.70

-3.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,641

$11.45 RON 54.6

37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.43 RON 6.83

16.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 189

$1.64 RON 7.84

10.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.89 RON 8.99

-3.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 327

$2.50 RON 11.91

25.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.5

$0.97 RON 4.63

-9.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.5

$0.91 RON 4.35

-26.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.6

$0.98 RON 4.68

-17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 71.1

$1.02 RON 4.86

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 500

$6.12 RON 29.14

-21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 891

$7.37 RON 35.11

15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.9

$1.28 RON 6.11

-26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 151

$1.73 RON 8.22

-16.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.49 RON 145

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 323

$0.86 RON 4.10

259.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$1.00 RON 4.74

2.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,793

$8.42 RON 40.12

104.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.93 RON 9.22

-3.11%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$28.2K RON 134.3K

9.10%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$24.9K RON 118.7K

-2.55%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$157 RON 748

38.63%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,635

$8.59 RON 40.94

193.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,691

$9.79 RON 46.65

261.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,361

$47.00 RON 224

-11.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,380

$22.48 RON 107

1.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 884

$9.65 RON 45.99

-12.23%

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

$426 RSD 44.5K

$591 RON 2,815

-27.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$9,697 RON 46.2K

17.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$87.2 RON 416

27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,802

$45.80 RON 218

0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$101 RON 480

18.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.1K

$109 RON 521

40.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.8K

$630 RON 3,003

30.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.5K

$519 RON 2,475

7.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.8K

$1,163 RON 5,540

30.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.3K

$829 RON 3,951

13.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 554.6K

$4,711 RON 22.5K

12.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 330.4K

$3,394 RON 16.2K

-6.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 128.2K

$1,223 RON 5,826

0.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.8

-32.21%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9% 7.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5% 37% $103

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7% 4.4% $11

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 6.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11% 20.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7% 12.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 380% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $821 in Belgrade versus $630 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 0% higher in Belgrade, 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 $58.0 in Belgrade versus $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $235 – making Cluj-Napoca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Cluj-Napoca 330 km

From you

Belgrade
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $2,074 in Cluj-Napoca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cluj-Napoca, where all-in costs run around $1,382, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Cluj-Napoca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade 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 $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca to $1,538 in Belgrade. 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 Cluj-Napoca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.