Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braila and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,143 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index
68

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

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Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Braila versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Braila $1,143
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,725 in Braila versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Braila $1,725
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,308 in Braila versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Braila $2,308
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Braila costs roughly 20% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Braila is 16% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.68 RON 89.6

$12.58 RON 60.3

48.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.07 RON 187

$54.8 RON 263

-28.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 RON 42.08

$9.59 RON 46.01

-8.45%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.61

$3.78 RON 18.11

-30.42%

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

$2.06 RON 9.87

$2.30 RON 11.05

-10.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.16

$2.22 RON 10.66

-23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 RON 7.80

$3.32 RON 15.91

-50.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 RON 9.96

$4.20 RON 20.13

-50.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 RON 8.72

$1.60 RON 7.69

13.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.82

$1.44 RON 6.92

-1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 RON 7.07

$1.69 RON 8.12

-13.02%

Eggs

$3.36 RON 16.13

$3.76 RON 18.01

-10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 RON 41.76

$9.07 RON 43.48

-3.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.65 RON 36.66

$7.14 RON 34.23

7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 RON 45.61

$11.46 RON 54.9

-17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.54

$1.39 RON 6.65

-31.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.98

$1.58 RON 7.58

-7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.25

$1.88 RON 9.03

-30.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.51

$2.37 RON 11.36

-51.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.05

$0.92 RON 4.42

-8.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.47

$0.90 RON 4.31

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RON 3.26

$0.90 RON 4.33

-24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$1.01 RON 4.83

-21.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 RON 29.53

$6.42 RON 30.79

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 RON 29.70

$7.41 RON 35.54

-16.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.88

$1.25 RON 5.97

-18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 RON 7.47

$1.73 RON 8.30

-9.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.76 RON 3.64

-19.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.47 RON 74.2

$44.23 RON 212

-65.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 RON 4.95

$0.84 RON 4.01

22.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.47

$0.96 RON 4.61

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.77 RON 32.45

$8.27 RON 39.65

-18.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 RON 7.60

$1.94 RON 9.30

-18.56%

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

$26.8K RON 128.4K

$28.3K RON 135.9K

-5.50%

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

$29.7K RON 142.3K

$24.7K RON 118.6K

19.98%

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

$138 RON 663

$151 RON 723

-8.39%

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

$8.19 RON 39.25

$8.44 RON 40.46

-2.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.91 RON 61.9

$9.16 RON 43.94

40.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.14 RON 154

$47.36 RON 227

-32.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.83 RON 71.1

$22.01 RON 106

-32.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 RON 34.88

$9.35 RON 44.86

-22.25%

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

$366 RON 1,755

$577 RON 2,768

-36.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,266 RON 39.6K

$9,450 RON 45.3K

-12.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 RON 480

$87.1 RON 418

14.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 RON 290

$44.26 RON 212

36.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 RON 438

$98.8 RON 474

-7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 RON 591

$107 RON 512

15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 RON 1,804

$668 RON 3,205

-43.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 RON 1,463

$536 RON 2,569

-43.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,571

$1,227 RON 5,882

-56.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,140

$807 RON 3,872

-44.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,880 RON 9,015

$4,568 RON 21.9K

-58.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,304 RON 6,252

$3,342 RON 16.0K

-60.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$851 RON 4,079

$1,241 RON 5,949

-31.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.3

6.65

24.81%

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

Last update for Braila: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braila

$305 26.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 75.6% $231

Eating Out

Braila

$235 20.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 7.2% $17

Groceries & Markets

Braila

$206 18%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 11.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Braila

$169 14.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 10.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braila

$159 13.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 5.8% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Braila

$47 4.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 41.5% $19

Getting Around

Braila

$23 2%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 135% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $376 in Braila and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Braila vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $230 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Braila

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

Same time as Braila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,302

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Braila Cluj-Napoca 380 km

From you

Braila
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

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

Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Cluj-Napoca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Braila. 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: $376 in Braila versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 65% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $366 in Braila versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Braila is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.