Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Banska Bystrica

For one person, living costs are similar in Cluj-Napoca and in Banska Bystrica: $1,406 and $1,347 a month, rent and utilities included.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Banska Bystrica
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Banska Bystrica Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Banska Bystrica

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Banska Bystrica

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,347 in Banska Bystrica, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,406
Banska Bystrica $1,347

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,904 in Banska Bystrica, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,113
Banska Bystrica $1,904

A family of three spends $2,819 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $2,460 in Banska Bystrica, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,819
Banska Bystrica $2,460

Cluj-Napoca costs about 4% more than Banska Bystrica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cluj-Napoca and Banska Bystrica sit above the global median – Cluj-Napoca by 4%, Banska Bystrica by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.77 RON 60.4

$7.36 €6.55

73.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 259

$25.76 €22.91

112.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 RON 45.41

$7.72 €6.87

24.35%

Cappuccino

$3.63 RON 17.18

$1.97 €1.75

84.26%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.75 €1.55

32.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.17 €1.04

99.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 RON 15.47

$1.93 €1.72

69.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.21

$2.18 €1.94

95.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.26

$0.93 €0.83

64.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 RON 7.13

$0.99 €0.88

52.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.76 €1.57

2.84%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.28

$3.36 €2.99

14.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 RON 43.28

$8.89 €7.91

2.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.45

$6.31 €5.61

15.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 RON 55.5

$9.29 €8.27

26.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.70

$2.00 €1.78

-29.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.00

$1.66 €1.48

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 RON 9.21

$2.07 €1.85

-5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 RON 11.30

$4.46 €3.96

-46.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$1.18 €1.05

-20.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.26

$1.13 €1.01

-20.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$1.26 €1.12

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.79

$0.52 €0.46

94.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 28.89

$5.51 €4.90

10.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 RON 34.84

$5.48 €4.88

34.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.08

$0.86 €0.77

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.38

$1.56 €1.39

13.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.29

$1.14 €1.01

-38.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 RON 145

$22.19 €19.74

38.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 RON 4.22

$2.87 €2.55

-68.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RON 4.37

$1.70 €1.51

-45.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 RON 39.71

$22.11 €19.67

-62.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$1.75 €1.56

8.57%

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

$28.0K RON 132.5K

$26.3K €23.4K

6.57%

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

$24.8K RON 117.2K

$22.3K €19.8K

11.32%

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

$153 RON 725

$257 €228

-40.30%

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

$8.59 RON 40.64

$20.89 €18.58

-58.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.77 RON 46.24

$21.32 €18.96

-54.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 RON 218

$50.8 €45.17

-9.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.53 RON 107

$28.45 €25.30

-20.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.09

$7.90 €7.03

17.97%

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

$587 RON 2,780

$325 €289

80.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,476 RON 44.8K

$8,775 €7,806

7.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$73.4 €65.3

20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 RON 216

$42.11 €37.45

8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 479

$90.7 €80.6

11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RON 512

$72.7 €64.7

48.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 RON 2,941

$624 €555

-0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,480

$475 €422

10.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 RON 5,429

$1,049 €934

9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 RON 3,816

$731 €650

10.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,709 RON 22.3K

$4,603 €4,094

2.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,348 RON 15.8K

$3,718 €3,307

-9.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,234 RON 5,837

$1,077 €958

14.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.88

75.26%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Banska Bystrica: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3%

Banska Bystrica

$475 35.2% 9.4% $49

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7%

Banska Bystrica

$212 15.7% 9.5% $22

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Banska Bystrica

$131 9.8% 39.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2%

Banska Bystrica

$299 22.2% 74.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Banska Bystrica

$126 9.3% 18.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Banska Bystrica

$67 4.9% 2.8% $1.8

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Banska Bystrica

$38 2.8% 2.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Cluj-Napoca versus $624 in Banska Bystrica. 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 15% 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 $26.00 in Banska Bystrica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $212 – making Banska Bystrica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇸🇰 Banska Bystrica

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h behind Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

80,466

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Banska Bystrica 400 km

From you

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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 Banska Bystrica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, $1,347 in Banska Bystrica – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,109 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $2,021 in Banska Bystrica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,347 in Banska Bystrica. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Banska Bystrica. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Banska Bystrica, where all-in costs run around $1,347, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,406. In Banska Bystrica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cluj-Napoca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cluj-Napoca has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,347 in Banska Bystrica to $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Banska Bystrica. 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.