Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $859 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Alexandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cluj-Napoca and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca versus $859 in Alexandria.

Cluj-Napoca $1,406
Alexandria $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,320 in Alexandria.

Cluj-Napoca $2,113
Alexandria $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,781 in Alexandria.

Cluj-Napoca $2,819
Alexandria $1,781

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 64% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.77 RON 60.4

$8.30 RON 39.26

53.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 259

$30.10 RON 142

82.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 RON 45.41

$7.24 RON 34.24

32.60%

Cappuccino

$3.63 RON 17.18

$1.62 RON 7.68

124.07%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.76 RON 8.34

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.49 RON 7.03

56.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 RON 15.47

$2.11 RON 9.99

54.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.21

$2.46 RON 11.66

73.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.26

$1.39 RON 6.56

10.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 RON 7.13

$0.80 RON 3.78

88.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.10 RON 5.21

64.55%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.28

$2.16 RON 10.23

78.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 RON 43.28

$4.98 RON 23.57

83.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.45

$4.30 RON 20.35

69.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 RON 55.5

$7.67 RON 36.31

52.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.70

$0.88 RON 4.16

61.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.00

$1.18 RON 5.57

43.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 RON 9.21

$0.98 RON 4.61

98.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 RON 11.30

$0.98 RON 4.62

143.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$0.70 RON 3.33

34.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.26

$0.61 RON 2.87

47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$0.72 RON 3.40

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.79

$0.86 RON 4.06

17.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 28.89

$5.43 RON 25.69

12.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 RON 34.84

$5.15 RON 24.38

42.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.08

$0.92 RON 4.34

40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.38

$1.08 RON 5.10

63.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.29

$0.60 RON 2.86

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 RON 145

$42.28 RON 200

-27.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 RON 4.22

$0.44 RON 2.07

102.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RON 4.37

$0.40 RON 1.91

130.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 RON 39.71

$5.49 RON 25.97

52.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$1.72 RON 8.14

10.47%

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

$28.0K RON 132.5K

$16.1K RON 76.2K

73.92%

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

$24.8K RON 117.2K

$23.1K RON 109.4K

7.18%

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

$153 RON 725

$115 RON 545

33.11%

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

$8.59 RON 40.64

$5.18 RON 24.53

65.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.77 RON 46.24

$7.60 RON 35.96

28.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 RON 218

$58.6 RON 277

-21.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.53 RON 107

$24.59 RON 116

-8.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.09

$6.36 RON 30.10

46.54%

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

$587 RON 2,780

$308 RON 1,459

90.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,476 RON 44.8K

$6,663 RON 31.5K

42.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$51.7 RON 245

71.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 RON 216

$22.37 RON 106

104.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 479

$63.2 RON 299

60.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RON 512

$64.0 RON 303

69.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 RON 2,941

$319 RON 1,511

94.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,480

$238 RON 1,127

120.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 RON 5,429

$577 RON 2,731

98.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 RON 3,816

$419 RON 1,981

92.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,709 RON 22.3K

$1,235 RON 5,842

281.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,348 RON 15.8K

$778 RON 3,679

330.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,234 RON 5,837

$844 RON 3,995

46.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

6.73

1.04%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3%

Alexandria

$238 27.7% 54.6% $286

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7%

Alexandria

$148 17.2% 36.7% $86

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Alexandria

$136 15.8% 37.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2%

Alexandria

$128 14.9% 25.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Alexandria

$91 10.5% 41.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Alexandria

$71 8.3% 10% $6.5

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Alexandria

$47 5.5% 21% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $622 in Cluj-Napoca and $319 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 46% 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: $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $30.00 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $148 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

45,434

💱 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

Cluj-Napoca Alexandria 340 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Alexandria

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

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

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Cluj-Napoca. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Cluj-Napoca, 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: $622 in Cluj-Napoca versus $319 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,406 per month in Cluj-Napoca versus $859 in Alexandria – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 38% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Alexandria versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alexandria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alexandria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.