Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botosani and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $893 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
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Botosani Living Index
68

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

Jump to prices

Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$893

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $893 in Botosani versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca.

Botosani $893
Cluj-Napoca $1,424

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Botosani versus $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca.

Botosani $1,317
Cluj-Napoca $2,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,740 in Botosani versus $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca.

Botosani $1,740
Cluj-Napoca $2,858

Living in Botosani costs roughly 37% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Botosani is 34% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 RON 39.30

$12.23 RON 58.1

-32.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.25 RON 134

$55.3 RON 262

-48.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 RON 34.65

$9.39 RON 44.58

-22.26%

Cappuccino

$2.20 RON 10.43

$3.79 RON 18.00

-41.95%

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

$1.35 RON 6.40

$2.40 RON 11.41

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.79

$2.33 RON 11.05

-47.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$3.20 RON 15.19

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 RON 10.87

$4.11 RON 19.52

-44.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.36

$1.57 RON 7.47

-14.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$1.41 RON 6.69

-21.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.66

$1.80 RON 8.55

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.81 RON 13.36

$3.70 RON 17.56

-24.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 RON 34.12

$9.23 RON 43.84

-22.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 27.92

$7.16 RON 33.99

-17.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 RON 43.99

$11.81 RON 56.1

-21.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.51

$1.37 RON 6.51

-30.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.60 RON 7.59

-20.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.85

$1.87 RON 8.87

-22.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 RON 8.58

$2.31 RON 10.96

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.52

$0.92 RON 4.35

-19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 RON 2.58

$0.88 RON 4.16

-38.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.96 RON 4.57

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.41

$0.96 RON 4.55

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 RON 28.07

$6.33 RON 30.08

-6.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.46 RON 30.70

$7.50 RON 35.60

-13.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 RON 5.11

$1.22 RON 5.78

-11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RON 7.28

$1.75 RON 8.30

-12.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$0.70 RON 3.34

8.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 RON 141

$43.90 RON 208

-32.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 RON 3.55

$0.81 RON 3.86

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$0.82 RON 3.90

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 RON 35.50

$8.25 RON 39.19

-9.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.73

$1.98 RON 9.41

-7.07%

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

$26.9K RON 127.8K

$28.3K RON 134.3K

-4.85%

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

$25.0K RON 118.7K

$24.6K RON 116.8K

1.65%

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

$102 RON 486

$152 RON 721

-32.64%

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

$7.27 RON 34.52

$8.05 RON 38.23

-9.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.94 RON 37.69

$9.37 RON 44.49

-15.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.78 RON 151

$48.94 RON 232

-35.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.91 RON 109

$22.31 RON 106

2.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 RON 25.03

$9.32 RON 44.24

-43.45%

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

$312 RON 1,480

$577 RON 2,742

-46.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.87 RON 218

$87.3 RON 414

-47.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 RON 145

$43.70 RON 207

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 RON 294

$99.8 RON 474

-37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.3 RON 320

$107 RON 509

-37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 RON 1,862

$662 RON 3,144

-40.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 RON 1,339

$539 RON 2,558

-47.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 RON 2,618

$1,247 RON 5,919

-55.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 RON 1,811

$836 RON 3,971

-54.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,344 RON 6,382

$4,596 RON 21.8K

-70.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 RON 4,636

$3,264 RON 15.5K

-70.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 RON 4,474

$1,293 RON 6,142

-27.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.65

-1.20%

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

Last update for Botosani: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botosani

$282 31.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8% 91% $257

Groceries & Markets

Botosani

$184 20.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2% 25.5% $47

Eating Out

Botosani

$138 15.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1% 55.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botosani

$117 13.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9% 44.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Botosani

$92 10.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 64.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Botosani

$42 4.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7% 59.7% $25

Getting Around

Botosani

$37 4.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6% 38.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $392 in Botosani and $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 37% 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: $28 in Botosani vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $231 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Botosani

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

Same time as Botosani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,847

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Botosani Cluj-Napoca 260 km

From you

Botosani
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $893 in Botosani and $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, so Botosani is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Botosani. 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: $392 in Botosani versus $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $312 in Botosani 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 26% higher in Cluj-Napoca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $893 in Botosani versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Botosani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.