Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carei and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Carei: $974 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Carei
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Carei Living Index
68

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

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Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$974

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $974 per month in Carei vs $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Carei $974
Cluj-Napoca $1,424

A couple spends around $1,549 per month in Carei vs $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Carei $1,549
Cluj-Napoca $2,141

A family of three spends $2,124 per month in Carei vs $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca, rent included.

Carei $2,124
Cluj-Napoca $2,858

Carei is about 32% cheaper than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Carei sits 28% below the global median, while Cluj-Napoca is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 RON 53.8

$12.23 RON 58.1

-7.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.18 RON 191

$55.3 RON 262

-27.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 RON 39.54

$9.39 RON 44.58

-11.29%

Cappuccino

$2.58 RON 12.23

$3.79 RON 18.00

-31.93%

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

$1.81 RON 8.58

$2.40 RON 11.41

-24.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.79

$2.33 RON 11.05

-38.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 RON 9.65

$3.20 RON 15.19

-36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 RON 13.33

$4.11 RON 19.52

-31.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 RON 6.79

$1.57 RON 7.47

-8.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 RON 5.20

$1.41 RON 6.69

-21.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.80

$1.80 RON 8.55

-20.56%

Eggs

$2.88 RON 13.68

$3.70 RON 17.56

-22.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 RON 37.58

$9.23 RON 43.84

-14.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 RON 28.43

$7.16 RON 33.99

-16.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.81 RON 46.58

$11.81 RON 56.1

-16.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 RON 5.20

$1.37 RON 6.51

-20.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.17

$1.60 RON 7.59

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.90

$1.87 RON 8.87

-22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 RON 9.10

$2.31 RON 10.96

-16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 RON 3.48

$0.92 RON 4.35

-20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.54

$0.88 RON 4.16

-14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 RON 4.47

$0.96 RON 4.57

-2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RON 3.24

$0.96 RON 4.55

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.89 RON 27.97

$6.33 RON 30.08

-6.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 RON 28.60

$7.50 RON 35.60

-19.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.85

$1.22 RON 5.78

-16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.78

$1.75 RON 8.30

-6.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 RON 3.19

$0.70 RON 3.34

-4.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.08 RON 110

$43.90 RON 208

-47.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.81 RON 3.86

2.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.02

$0.82 RON 3.90

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 RON 31.31

$8.25 RON 39.19

-20.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.78

$1.98 RON 9.41

-6.57%

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

$32.3K RON 153.4K

$28.3K RON 134.3K

14.22%

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

$28.9K RON 137.3K

$24.6K RON 116.8K

17.56%

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

$117 RON 556

$152 RON 721

-22.86%

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

$7.68 RON 36.49

$8.05 RON 38.23

-4.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.69 RON 41.28

$9.37 RON 44.49

-7.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.46 RON 192

$48.94 RON 232

-17.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 RON 100

$22.31 RON 106

-5.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 RON 38.63

$9.32 RON 44.24

-12.66%

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

$381 RON 1,810

$577 RON 2,742

-33.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,339 RON 39.6K

$12.3K RON 58.4K

-32.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 RON 288

$87.3 RON 414

-30.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.68 RON 188

$43.70 RON 207

-9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 RON 320

$99.8 RON 474

-32.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 RON 442

$107 RON 509

-13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 RON 1,610

$662 RON 3,144

-48.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 RON 1,283

$539 RON 2,558

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 RON 2,962

$1,247 RON 5,919

-49.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 RON 2,484

$836 RON 3,971

-37.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,111 RON 10.0K

$4,596 RON 21.8K

-54.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 RON 5,803

$3,264 RON 15.5K

-62.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.65

4.81%

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

Last update for Carei: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carei

$270 27.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8% 99.3% $268

Groceries & Markets

Carei

$192 19.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2% 20.3% $39

Eating Out

Carei

$175 18%

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1% 22.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carei

$133 13.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9% 26.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Carei

$117 12.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 29.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Carei

$57 5.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7% 19.1% $11

Getting Around

Carei

$30 3.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6% 73.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $339 in Carei versus $662 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Carei versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $231 – making Carei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Carei

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

Same time as Carei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,911

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Carei Cluj-Napoca 130 km

From you

Carei
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

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

Cluj-Napoca costs about 46% more than Carei, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Carei and $2,137 in Cluj-Napoca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $339 there versus $662 in Cluj-Napoca.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Cluj-Napoca, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Carei and $55 in Cluj-Napoca. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $974 in Carei and $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Carei – 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.

For expats, Carei is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.