Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
68

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

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca.

Buzau $979
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca.

Buzau $1,449
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca.

Buzau $1,919
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Living in Buzau costs roughly 30% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buzau is 27% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$12.77 RON 60.4

-18.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$54.8 RON 259

-54.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$9.60 RON 45.41

-34.38%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$3.63 RON 17.18

-44.35%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$2.31 RON 10.92

-16.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$2.33 RON 11.01

-35.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$3.27 RON 15.47

-49.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$4.27 RON 20.21

-59.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.53 RON 7.26

15.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.51 RON 7.13

-13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.81 RON 8.55

-19.89%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$3.86 RON 18.28

-19.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$9.15 RON 43.28

-18.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$7.28 RON 34.45

-9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$11.73 RON 55.5

-5.37%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$1.42 RON 6.70

-33.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.69 RON 8.00

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$1.95 RON 9.21

-43.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.39 RON 11.30

-48.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$0.94 RON 4.44

-28.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$0.90 RON 4.26

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$0.90 RON 4.25

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$1.01 RON 4.79

-34.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$6.11 RON 28.89

2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$7.36 RON 34.84

-12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.29 RON 6.08

-41.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$1.77 RON 8.38

-19.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.70 RON 3.29

-5.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$30.67 RON 145

-29.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$0.89 RON 4.22

-41.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$0.92 RON 4.37

-46.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$8.39 RON 39.71

-26.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.90 RON 9.00

-13.16%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

-30.78%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

-14.70%

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

$119 RON 563

$153 RON 725

-22.46%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$8.59 RON 40.64

-8.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$9.77 RON 46.24

-20.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$46.15 RON 218

-30.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$22.53 RON 107

-20.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$9.32 RON 44.09

-26.07%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$587 RON 2,780

-51.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-28.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$88.5 RON 419

-38.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$45.73 RON 216

26.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$101 RON 479

-3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$108 RON 512

-22.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$622 RON 2,941

-44.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$524 RON 2,480

-44.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$1,147 RON 5,429

-47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$806 RON 3,816

-47.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-68.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$3,348 RON 15.8K

-64.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$1,234 RON 5,837

-31.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.8

2.50%

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

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 79.8% $233

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 19.6% $38

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 43.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 27.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 17% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 41.4% $19

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 43.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 45% 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: $25.00 in Buzau vs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $234 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

Same time as Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

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

Buzau Cluj-Napoca 310 km

From you

Buzau
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

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

Buzau and Cluj-Napoca differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,406 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $344 in Buzau versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Cluj-Napoca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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, Buzau 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 Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.