Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi, Romania and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index
68

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

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Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $884 per month in Calarasi vs $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Calarasi $884
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Calarasi vs $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Calarasi $1,366
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

A family of three spends $1,848 per month in Calarasi vs $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Calarasi $1,848
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Calarasi is about 38% cheaper than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Calarasi sits 35% below the global median, while Cluj-Napoca is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 RON 42.28

$12.58 RON 60.0

-29.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.46 RON 160

$54.8 RON 261

-38.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 RON 35.95

$9.59 RON 45.75

-21.38%

Cappuccino

$2.08 RON 9.90

$3.78 RON 18.01

-44.97%

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

$1.83 RON 8.74

$2.30 RON 10.99

-20.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 RON 8.18

$2.22 RON 10.60

-22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 RON 7.30

$3.32 RON 15.82

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.89

$4.20 RON 20.01

-65.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RON 6.90

$1.60 RON 7.64

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 RON 4.39

$1.44 RON 6.88

-36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$1.69 RON 8.07

-11.83%

Eggs

$2.71 RON 12.92

$3.76 RON 17.91

-27.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 RON 36.16

$9.07 RON 43.24

-16.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 RON 20.51

$7.14 RON 34.04

-39.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 RON 39.96

$11.46 RON 54.6

-26.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 RON 5.18

$1.39 RON 6.61

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.60

$1.58 RON 7.54

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.89

$1.88 RON 8.97

-34.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.91

$2.37 RON 11.29

-38.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 RON 2.08

$0.92 RON 4.39

-52.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$0.90 RON 4.29

-31.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 RON 2.09

$0.90 RON 4.31

-51.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$1.01 RON 4.80

-19.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.19 RON 29.51

$6.42 RON 30.62

-3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 RON 20.19

$7.41 RON 35.34

-42.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.67

$1.25 RON 5.94

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 RON 6.57

$1.73 RON 8.25

-20.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 RON 1.93

$0.76 RON 3.62

-46.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 RON 58.6

$44.23 RON 211

-72.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$0.84 RON 3.98

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$0.96 RON 4.59

-36.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 RON 30.21

$8.27 RON 39.43

-23.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.94 RON 9.24

-16.49%

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

$28.3K RON 135.2K

$28.3K RON 135.1K

0.07%

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

$25.1K RON 119.7K

$24.7K RON 118.0K

1.43%

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

$163 RON 778

$151 RON 719

8.09%

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

$6.16 RON 29.36

$8.44 RON 40.24

-27.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.51 RON 31.06

$9.16 RON 43.70

-28.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.78 RON 228

$47.36 RON 226

0.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.6 RON 246

$22.01 RON 105

134.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.22 RON 39.18

$9.35 RON 44.61

-12.09%

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

$375 RON 1,787

$577 RON 2,752

-35.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 RON 27.2K

$9,450 RON 45.1K

-39.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 RON 350

$87.1 RON 415

-15.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.65 RON 98.5

$44.26 RON 211

-53.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 RON 428

$98.8 RON 471

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 RON 457

$107 RON 509

-10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 RON 1,494

$668 RON 3,187

-53.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 RON 912

$536 RON 2,555

-64.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 RON 1,968

$1,227 RON 5,849

-66.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 RON 1,559

$807 RON 3,851

-59.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,190 RON 5,673

$4,568 RON 21.8K

-73.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$965 RON 4,602

$3,342 RON 15.9K

-71.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$728 RON 3,473

$1,241 RON 5,916

-41.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

6.65

18.05%

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

Last update for Calarasi: 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

Calarasi

$191 21.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 180% $344

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$176 19.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 4.1% $7.3

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$166 18.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 38.7% $64

Eating Out

Calarasi

$143 16.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 52.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$126 14.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 20.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$64 7.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Calarasi

$18 2%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 201% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Calarasi versus $668 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 70% higher in Cluj-Napoca. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Calarasi versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $230 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,181

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calarasi Cluj-Napoca 410 km

From you

Calarasi
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $884 in Calarasi, $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca – Calarasi comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,326 per month in Calarasi and $2,134 in Cluj-Napoca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Calarasi and $577 in Cluj-Napoca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Cluj-Napoca, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,423. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cluj-Napoca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Calarasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cluj-Napoca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.