Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Botosani

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $893 a month against $1,424 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
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
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Botosani Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$893

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $893 in Botosani.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Botosani $893

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,317 in Botosani.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Botosani $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,740 in Botosani.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Botosani $1,740

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 59% more expensive than in Botosani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Botosani is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.3

$8.28 RON 39.45

47.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 263

$28.25 RON 135

95.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.75

$7.30 RON 34.78

28.63%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.06

$2.20 RON 10.47

72.27%

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

$2.40 RON 11.45

$1.35 RON 6.43

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.10

$1.22 RON 5.82

90.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.24

$1.70 RON 8.08

88.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.60

$2.29 RON 10.91

79.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$1.34 RON 6.38

17.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.71

$1.10 RON 5.26

28.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.59

$1.40 RON 6.69

28.57%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.62

$2.81 RON 13.42

31.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 44.00

$7.19 RON 34.25

28.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 34.12

$5.88 RON 28.03

21.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.3

$9.26 RON 44.15

27.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.54

$0.95 RON 4.53

44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.62

$1.27 RON 6.04

25.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.90

$1.44 RON 6.87

29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 11.00

$1.81 RON 8.61

27.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.74 RON 3.53

24.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.54 RON 2.59

62.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.59

$0.80 RON 3.80

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.56

$0.72 RON 3.42

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.19

$5.91 RON 28.18

7.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.73

$6.46 RON 30.81

16.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.81

$1.08 RON 5.12

12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.33

$1.53 RON 7.31

14.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$0.76 RON 3.64

-7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 209

$29.76 RON 142

47.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.87

$0.75 RON 3.57

8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.91

$0.76 RON 3.62

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.34

$7.48 RON 35.64

10.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.45

$1.84 RON 8.76

7.61%

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

$28.3K RON 134.8K

$26.9K RON 128.3K

5.10%

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

$24.6K RON 117.2K

$25.0K RON 119.2K

-1.63%

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

$152 RON 723

$102 RON 487

48.45%

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

$8.05 RON 38.38

$7.27 RON 34.65

10.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.66

$7.94 RON 37.84

18.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 233

$31.78 RON 151

54.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$22.91 RON 109

-2.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.41

$5.27 RON 25.13

76.85%

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

$577 RON 2,752

$312 RON 1,485

85.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 416

$45.87 RON 219

90.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 208

$30.48 RON 145

43.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 476

$61.9 RON 295

61.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 511

$67.3 RON 321

59.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,156

$392 RON 1,869

68.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,567

$282 RON 1,344

91.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,942

$551 RON 2,628

126.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,986

$381 RON 1,817

119.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.9K

$1,344 RON 6,406

241.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.6K

$976 RON 4,654

234.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,165

$942 RON 4,491

37.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.57

1.22%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Botosani: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Botosani

$282 31.6% 47.6% $257

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Botosani

$184 20.6% 20.4% $47

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Botosani

$138 15.4% 35.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Botosani

$117 13.2% 30.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Botosani

$92 10.4% 39.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Botosani

$42 4.7% 37.4% $25

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Botosani

$37 4.2% 27.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Cluj-Napoca and $392 in Botosani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 37% 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: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $28 in Botosani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $184 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Botosani

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

106,847

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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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 Botosani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca and $893 in Botosani, so Botosani is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $662 in Cluj-Napoca versus $392 in Botosani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $312 in Botosani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Cluj-Napoca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $893 in Botosani versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Botosani are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Botosani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.