Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Algeciras

For one person, living is cheaper in Algeciras: $1,133 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Algeciras, Spain
Cluj-Napoca
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,423
/mo nomad
Algeciras
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,133
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Algeciras actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,133 in Algeciras.

  • Cluj-Napoca $1,423
  • Algeciras $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,808 in Algeciras.

  • Cluj-Napoca $2,126
  • Algeciras $1,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,482 in Algeciras.

  • Cluj-Napoca $2,830
  • Algeciras $2,482

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 26% more expensive than in Algeciras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Algeciras is 17% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.58 RON 60.5
$8.58 €7.71
46.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.8 RON 263
$36.27 €32.58
51.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.59 RON 46.11
$6.88 €6.18
39.39%
Cappuccino
$3.78 RON 18.15
$1.66 €1.49
127.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 RON 11.07
$1.34 €1.20
71.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 RON 10.68
$1.14 €1.02
94.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 RON 15.94
$2.56 €2.30
29.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.20 RON 20.17
$4.02 €3.61
4.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 RON 7.70
$1.25 €1.13
28.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 RON 6.93
$1.20 €1.08
20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 RON 8.14
$1.71 €1.54
-1.17%
Eggs
$3.76 RON 18.05
$3.37 €3.03
11.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.07 RON 43.57
$10.98 €9.86
-17.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.14 RON 34.30
$7.59 €6.81
-5.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.46 RON 55.1
$14.05 €12.62
-18.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.39 RON 6.66
$2.25 €2.03
-38.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 RON 7.60
$2.03 €1.82
-22.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 RON 9.04
$1.82 €1.64
3.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.37 RON 11.38
$2.14 €1.92
10.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.92 RON 4.43
$1.53 €1.38
-39.87%
Onion (1kg)
$0.90 RON 4.32
$1.34 €1.21
-32.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 RON 4.34
$1.02 €0.91
-11.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 RON 4.84
$0.61 €0.55
65.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.42 RON 30.86
$6.28 €5.64
2.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.41 RON 35.62
$4.61 €4.14
60.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 RON 5.98
$1.14 €1.02
9.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 RON 8.31
$1.68 €1.51
2.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 RON 3.65
$1.53 €1.37
-50.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.23 RON 213
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.84 RON 4.01
$3.84 €3.45
-78.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 RON 4.62
$1.48 €1.33
-35.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.27 RON 39.74
$28.17 €25.31
-70.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.94 RON 9.32
$1.70 €1.52
14.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K RON 136.1K
$30.5K €27.4K
-7.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K RON 118.9K
$31.8K €28.6K
-22.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 RON 725
$86.4 €77.6
74.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.44 RON 40.55
$11.00 €9.89
-23.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.16 RON 44.04
$28.66 €25.75
-68.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.36 RON 228
$35.39 €31.79
33.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.01 RON 106
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.35 RON 44.95
$10.02 €9.00
-6.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$577 RON 2,774
$344 €309
67.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,450 RON 45.4K
$7,659 €6,880
23.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 RON 419
$64.7 €58.2
34.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.26 RON 213
$32.53 €29.22
36.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.8 RON 475
$124 €111
-20.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 RON 513
$133 €120
-19.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$668 RON 3,212
$468 €421
42.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$536 RON 2,575
$398 €358
34.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 RON 5,895
$948 €851
29.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$807 RON 3,881
$817 €734
-1.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,568 RON 22.0K
$2,151 €1,932
112.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,342 RON 16.1K
$1,760 €1,581
89.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cluj-Napoca
Algeciras
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,241 RON 5,962
$1,829 €1,643
-32.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.65
3.32
100.30%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Algeciras: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cluj-Napoca
$536
Algeciras
$398 25.7% $138
Groceries & Markets
Cluj-Napoca
$230
Algeciras
$236 2.7% $6.3
Eating Out
Cluj-Napoca
$218
Algeciras
$140 35.8% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cluj-Napoca
$168
Algeciras
$126 25.2% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Cluj-Napoca
$152
Algeciras
$159 5.1% $7.8
Sport & Entertainment
Cluj-Napoca
$66
Algeciras
$55 16.1% $11
Getting Around
Cluj-Napoca
$53
Algeciras
$17 * 67.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $468 in Algeciras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Algeciras pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $36 in Algeciras. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $236, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca
🇪🇸 Algeciras
🕒 Local time
23:36 11:36 PM
22:36 10:36 PM
1 h behind Cluj-Napoca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
324,576
123,639
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cluj-Napoca Algeciras 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cluj-Napoca
  • Algeciras

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 Algeciras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cluj-Napoca and in Algeciras?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,133 in Algeciras, so Algeciras is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 32% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Cluj-Napoca and in Algeciras?
Rent for a central apartment: $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $468 in Algeciras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Cluj-Napoca and Algeciras?
Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $344 in Algeciras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Algeciras – a meal for two runs $36 versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $2,000 go in Cluj-Napoca compared to Algeciras?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Algeciras gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Cluj-Napoca and Algeciras?
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.
Is Cluj-Napoca or Algeciras safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Algeciras are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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