Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Bamako

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $899 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
Learn more

Bamako Living Index

Jump to prices

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $899 in Bamako.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Bamako $899

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,467 in Bamako.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Bamako $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,034 in Bamako.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Bamako $2,034

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bamako, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Bamako is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$8.65 F CFA 5,042

44.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$35.32 F CFA 20.6K

54.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$8.02 F CFA 4,678

21.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$1.66 F CFA 967

121.69%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$0.97 F CFA 567

138.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$0.69 F CFA 405

234.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$2.36 F CFA 1,376

36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

-79.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.92 F CFA 1,120

-15.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$3.80 F CFA 2,218

-62.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$6.07 F CFA 3,537

-37.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$17.47 F CFA 10.2K

-47.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$15.92 F CFA 9,284

-55.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$12.59 F CFA 7,342

-6.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$4.11 F CFA 2,397

-65.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.02 F CFA 595

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$2.90 F CFA 1,689

-34.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$2.07 F CFA 1,204

16.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$1.25 F CFA 728

-26.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$1.14 F CFA 664

-22.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$0.09 F CFA 51.0

977.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$2.80 F CFA 1,633

-65.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$1.57 F CFA 916

-19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.67 F CFA 973

1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$1.25 F CFA 729

-25.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.12 F CFA 655

71.43%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

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

$156 RON 739

$152 F CFA 88.5K

2.87%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$66.1 F CFA 38.6K

-85.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$69.6 F CFA 40.6K

-33.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

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

$587 RON 2,775

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$176 F CFA 102.4K

254.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$80.4 F CFA 46.9K

557.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$503 F CFA 293.1K

127.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$302 F CFA 176.2K

171.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$1,258 F CFA 733.7K

166.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

$266 F CFA 155.2K

373.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bamako: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Bamako

$80 8.9% 84.8% $448

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Bamako

$351 * 39.1% 50.6% $118

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Bamako

$174 19.3% 19.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Bamako

$218 * 24.2% 24.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Bamako

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Bamako

$70 * 7.7% 7.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Bamako

$6.3 * 0.7% 84.2% $33

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 $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $176 in Bamako. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 374% 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: $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $35.00 in Bamako. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $351, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇲🇱 Bamako

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

3 h behind Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

1,809,106 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Bamako 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Bamako

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 Bamako: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Cluj-Napoca. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 374% 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: $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $176 in Bamako. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,413 per month in Cluj-Napoca versus $899 in Bamako – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Cluj-Napoca pay roughly 51% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $899 in Bamako versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bamako but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Bamako the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bamako delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $899 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bamako hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Bamako 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 Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.