Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living costs are similar in Bucharest and in Cluj-Napoca: $1,351 and $1,382 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
68

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

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca.

Bucharest $1,351
Cluj-Napoca $1,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $2,085 in Cluj-Napoca.

Bucharest $2,033
Cluj-Napoca $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,787 in Cluj-Napoca.

Bucharest $2,715
Cluj-Napoca $2,787

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 2% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Cluj-Napoca 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$12.81 RON 60.6

12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$56.4 RON 267

2.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$9.34 RON 44.17

-19.70%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.73 RON 17.66

-8.04%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.33 RON 11.00

5.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$2.30 RON 10.87

1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$3.19 RON 15.11

19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$4.30 RON 20.36

-4.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.63 RON 7.69

1.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.52 RON 7.18

-11.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.75 RON 8.28

1.71%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.86 RON 18.26

-5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$9.35 RON 44.23

-8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$7.28 RON 34.44

-6.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$11.45 RON 54.1

2.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.43 RON 6.78

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.64 RON 7.78

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.89 RON 8.92

-18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$2.50 RON 11.82

-0.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.97 RON 4.59

-14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.91 RON 4.32

-12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.98 RON 4.64

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.02 RON 4.83

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$6.12 RON 28.92

5.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$7.37 RON 34.84

-14.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.28 RON 6.06

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.73 RON 8.16

-7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.77 RON 3.64

5.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$30.49 RON 144

-30.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.86 RON 4.07

-30.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.00 RON 4.71

-39.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$8.42 RON 39.82

-26.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.93 RON 9.15

1.55%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$28.2K RON 133.3K

-0.11%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

5.57%

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

$197 RON 931

$157 RON 743

25.37%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$8.59 RON 40.63

-2.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$9.79 RON 46.30

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$47.00 RON 222

6.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$22.48 RON 106

11.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$9.65 RON 45.64

-12.33%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$591 RON 2,794

8.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$9,697 RON 45.9K

48.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$87.2 RON 412

3.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$45.80 RON 217

-16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$101 RON 476

-20.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$109 RON 517

-14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$630 RON 2,981

6.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$519 RON 2,457

-13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,163 RON 5,499

-5.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$829 RON 3,922

-12.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$4,711 RON 22.3K

-20.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$3,394 RON 16.1K

-35.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$1,223 RON 5,783

8.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.8

-0.88%

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

Last update for Bucharest: 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

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9% 15.7% $70

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 3.2% $7.3

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7% 6.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5% 18.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11% 13.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 40.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $630 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $235, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bucharest Cluj-Napoca 320 km

From you

Bucharest
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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

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

Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,382 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Bucharest versus $630 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 44% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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, Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.