Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,382 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,382 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,382
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,085
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $2,787 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,787
Belgrade $3,105

Cluj-Napoca is about 10% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cluj-Napoca and Belgrade sit above the global median – Cluj-Napoca by 3%, Belgrade by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.81 RON 61.0

$13.33 RSD 1,392

-3.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 RON 269

$58.4 RSD 6,099

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 RON 44.50

$13.58 RSD 1,417

-31.22%

Cappuccino

$3.73 RON 17.80

$3.13 RSD 327

19.17%

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

$2.33 RON 11.09

$2.77 RSD 289

-15.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.95

$2.27 RSD 237

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 RON 15.22

$3.75 RSD 391

-14.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 RON 20.51

$4.38 RSD 457

-1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.75

$1.40 RSD 146

16.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 RON 7.24

$1.17 RSD 122

29.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.35

$2.71 RSD 283

-35.42%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.40

$2.78 RSD 290

38.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 RON 44.57

$11.36 RSD 1,186

-17.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.70

$7.01 RSD 732

3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 RON 54.6

$15.72 RSD 1,641

-27.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.83

$1.66 RSD 173

-13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.84

$1.81 RSD 189

-9.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.99

$1.83 RSD 191

3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 RON 11.91

$3.13 RSD 327

-20.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RON 4.63

$0.88 RSD 91.5

10.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.35

$0.67 RSD 70.5

35.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 RON 4.68

$0.81 RSD 84.6

20.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.86

$0.68 RSD 71.1

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 RON 29.14

$4.78 RSD 500

28.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 RON 35.11

$8.54 RSD 891

-13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.11

$0.94 RSD 97.9

36.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.22

$1.44 RSD 151

20.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.49 RON 145

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$3.09 RSD 323

-72.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 RON 4.74

$1.02 RSD 107

-1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.42 RON 40.12

$17.18 RSD 1,793

-50.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.22

$1.87 RSD 196

3.21%

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

$28.2K RON 134.3K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-8.34%

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

$24.9K RON 118.7K

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

2.62%

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

$157 RON 748

$218 RSD 22.7K

-27.87%

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

$8.59 RON 40.94

$25.24 RSD 2,635

-65.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.79 RON 46.65

$35.35 RSD 3,691

-72.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.00 RON 224

$41.77 RSD 4,361

12.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 RON 107

$22.80 RSD 2,380

-1.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.65 RON 45.99

$8.47 RSD 884

13.93%

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

$591 RON 2,815

$426 RSD 44.5K

38.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 RON 46.2K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-14.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.2 RON 416

$111 RSD 11.6K

-21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 RON 218

$45.99 RSD 4,802

-0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 480

$119 RSD 12.4K

-15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 RON 521

$154 RSD 16.1K

-28.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 RON 3,003

$821 RSD 85.8K

-23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 RON 2,475

$561 RSD 58.5K

-7.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 RON 5,540

$1,511 RSD 157.8K

-23.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,951

$942 RSD 98.3K

-11.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,711 RON 22.5K

$5,312 RSD 554.6K

-11.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,394 RON 16.2K

$3,165 RSD 330.4K

7.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,223 RON 5,826

$1,228 RSD 128.2K

-0.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

4.61

47.51%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 7.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 4.6% $11

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 6.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 58.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 25.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 11.4% $7.6

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 79.2% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $630 in Cluj-Napoca versus $821 in Belgrade. 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 0% higher in Belgrade, 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 $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $246 – making Cluj-Napoca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

1 h behind Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Belgrade 330 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Belgrade

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 Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,074 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cluj-Napoca, 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 $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cluj-Napoca, where all-in costs run around $1,382, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Cluj-Napoca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade 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 $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca to $1,538 in Belgrade. 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 Cluj-Napoca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.