Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,413 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $975 in Barlad, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Barlad $975

A couple spends around $2,122 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,521 in Barlad, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Barlad $1,521

A family of three spends $2,831 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $2,066 in Barlad, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Barlad $2,066

Cluj-Napoca costs about 45% more than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cluj-Napoca sits 4% above the global median, while Barlad is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$8.96 RON 42.41

39.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$41.38 RON 196

31.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$7.20 RON 34.06

35.14%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$2.41 RON 11.40

52.70%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.85 RON 8.75

24.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$1.54 RON 7.27

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$2.17 RON 10.25

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$2.69 RON 12.72

58.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.34 RON 6.34

21.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.12 RON 5.31

27.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$1.40 RON 6.63

30.00%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$3.39 RON 16.02

12.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$7.51 RON 35.53

21.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$5.22 RON 24.69

35.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$10.04 RON 47.49

17.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.04 RON 4.92

34.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.63 RON 7.73

4.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$1.38 RON 6.54

36.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$1.76 RON 8.31

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.79 RON 3.75

16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.77 RON 3.65

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$0.84 RON 3.99

15.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$0.89 RON 4.20

8.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

$6.64 RON 31.41

-6.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

$5.58 RON 26.38

35.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$1.20 RON 5.68

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.62 RON 7.67

4.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.51 RON 2.40

41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

$19.88 RON 94.0

56.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.72 RON 3.42

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$0.73 RON 3.46

27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

$6.99 RON 33.08

21.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.75 RON 8.30

9.71%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

$26.5K RON 125.3K

9.08%

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

$25.1K RON 118.7K

-2.89%

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

$156 RON 739

$158 RON 748

-1.21%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

$8.87 RON 41.95

-1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$8.36 RON 39.58

14.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$34.02 RON 161

36.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

$18.05 RON 85.4

21.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

$6.61 RON 31.28

40.24%

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

$587 RON 2,775

$465 RON 2,202

26.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

$7,715 RON 36.5K

26.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

$62.0 RON 293

45.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

$34.81 RON 165

32.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

$72.7 RON 344

34.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

$86.2 RON 408

27.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$407 RON 1,927

53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$269 RON 1,271

96.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$651 RON 3,081

75.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$505 RON 2,387

62.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

$1,755 RON 8,305

160.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$1,263 RON 5,976

165.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.97

-4.59%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 49.2% $260

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 18.4% $43

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 29.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Barlad

$175 18% 0.5% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 25.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 33.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $407 in Barlad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca versus $41.00 in Barlad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $190 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

77,518

💱 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 Barlad 320 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
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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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, $975 in Barlad – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,119 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $1,462 in Barlad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 56% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $587 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $465 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,413. In Barlad 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 $975 in Barlad to $1,413 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 Barlad. 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.