Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
Learn more

Cluj-Napoca Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,406
Arad $873

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,113
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $2,819 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,819
Arad $1,858

Cluj-Napoca costs about 61% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cluj-Napoca sits 4% above the global median, while Arad is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.77 RON 60.4

$8.16 RON 38.63

56.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 259

$32.35 RON 153

69.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 RON 45.41

$7.15 RON 33.83

34.27%

Cappuccino

$3.63 RON 17.18

$2.63 RON 12.45

38.02%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.48 RON 7.00

56.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.59 RON 7.53

46.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 RON 15.47

$2.14 RON 10.15

52.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.21

$2.48 RON 11.71

72.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.26

$1.12 RON 5.32

36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 RON 7.13

$1.22 RON 5.76

23.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.72 RON 8.16

5.23%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.28

$2.57 RON 12.17

50.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 RON 43.28

$7.17 RON 33.94

27.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.45

$4.87 RON 23.03

49.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 RON 55.5

$10.13 RON 47.93

15.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.70

$1.60 RON 7.59

-11.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.00

$1.70 RON 8.05

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 RON 9.21

$1.69 RON 8.02

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 RON 11.30

$1.40 RON 6.60

70.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$0.76 RON 3.59

23.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.26

$0.85 RON 4.04

5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$1.18 RON 5.60

-23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.79

$0.77 RON 3.63

31.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 28.89

$5.95 RON 28.14

2.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 RON 34.84

$5.73 RON 27.10

28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.08

$1.22 RON 5.78

5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.38

$1.78 RON 8.40

-0.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.29

$0.87 RON 4.11

-19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 RON 145

$29.34 RON 139

4.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 RON 4.22

$0.79 RON 3.71

12.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RON 4.37

$1.07 RON 5.06

-14.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 RON 39.71

$10.40 RON 49.22

-19.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$1.84 RON 8.72

3.26%

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

$28.0K RON 132.5K

$27.8K RON 131.8K

0.56%

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

$24.8K RON 117.2K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

-0.51%

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

$153 RON 725

$125 RON 590

23.00%

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

$8.59 RON 40.64

$8.19 RON 38.74

4.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.77 RON 46.24

$7.28 RON 34.42

34.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 RON 218

$34.12 RON 161

35.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.53 RON 107

$30.83 RON 146

-26.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.09

$5.27 RON 24.91

76.85%

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

$587 RON 2,780

$159 RON 752

269.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,476 RON 44.8K

$3,847 RON 18.2K

146.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$42.29 RON 200

109.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 RON 216

$21.47 RON 102

112.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 479

$70.9 RON 335

42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RON 512

$72.6 RON 343

49.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 RON 2,941

$332 RON 1,571

87.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,480

$222 RON 1,052

135.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 RON 5,429

$529 RON 2,505

116.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 RON 3,816

$412 RON 1,951

95.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,709 RON 22.3K

$1,420 RON 6,719

231.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,348 RON 15.8K

$1,062 RON 5,027

215.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,234 RON 5,837

$919 RON 4,349

34.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

7.35

-7.48%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3%

Arad

$222 25.5% 57.6% $302

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7%

Arad

$188 21.5% 19.8% $46

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Arad

$146 16.8% 32.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2%

Arad

$140 16% 18.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Arad

$93 10.7% 39.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Arad

$45 5.1% 31.1% $20

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Arad

$39 4.5% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Cluj-Napoca versus $332 in Arad. 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 34% higher in Cluj-Napoca, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

159,074

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Arad 190 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca costs about 61% more than Arad, 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 $2,109 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca and $873 in Arad. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,406. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cluj-Napoca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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