Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,143 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,143 in Braila.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Braila $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,725 in Braila.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Braila $1,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,308 in Braila.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Braila $2,308

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 24% more expensive than in Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Braila is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.3

$18.68 RON 89.6

-32.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 263

$39.07 RON 187

40.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 46.01

$8.78 RON 42.08

9.23%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.11

$2.63 RON 12.61

43.73%

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

$2.30 RON 11.05

$2.06 RON 9.87

11.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.66

$1.70 RON 8.16

30.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.91

$1.63 RON 7.80

103.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.13

$2.08 RON 9.96

101.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.69

$1.82 RON 8.72

-12.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.92

$1.42 RON 6.82

1.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.12

$1.47 RON 7.07

14.97%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 18.01

$3.36 RON 16.13

11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.48

$8.71 RON 41.76

4.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.23

$7.65 RON 36.66

-6.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.9

$9.51 RON 45.61

20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.65

$0.95 RON 4.54

46.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.58

$1.46 RON 6.98

8.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 9.03

$1.30 RON 6.25

44.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.36

$1.15 RON 5.51

106.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.42

$0.84 RON 4.05

9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.31

$0.72 RON 3.47

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.33

$0.68 RON 3.26

32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.83

$0.79 RON 3.77

27.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.79

$6.16 RON 29.53

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.54

$6.19 RON 29.70

19.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.97

$1.02 RON 4.88

22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.30

$1.56 RON 7.47

10.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.64

$0.61 RON 2.92

24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 212

$15.47 RON 74.2

185.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$1.03 RON 4.95

-18.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.61

$0.72 RON 3.47

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.65

$6.77 RON 32.45

22.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.30

$1.58 RON 7.60

22.78%

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

$28.3K RON 135.9K

$26.8K RON 128.4K

5.82%

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

$24.7K RON 118.6K

$29.7K RON 142.3K

-16.66%

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

$151 RON 723

$138 RON 663

9.15%

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

$8.44 RON 40.46

$8.19 RON 39.25

3.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.94

$12.91 RON 61.9

-29.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 227

$32.14 RON 154

47.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 106

$14.83 RON 71.1

48.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.86

$7.27 RON 34.88

28.61%

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

$577 RON 2,768

$366 RON 1,755

57.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.3K

$8,266 RON 39.6K

14.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 418

$100 RON 480

-12.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 212

$60.5 RON 290

-26.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 474

$91.3 RON 438

8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 512

$123 RON 591

-13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,205

$376 RON 1,804

77.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,569

$305 RON 1,463

75.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,882

$536 RON 2,571

128.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,872

$446 RON 2,140

80.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.9K

$1,880 RON 9,015

142.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.0K

$1,304 RON 6,252

156.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,949

$851 RON 4,079

45.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

8.3

-19.88%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Braila

$305 26.7% 43% $231

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Braila

$206 18% 10.5% $24

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Braila

$235 20.5% 7.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Braila

$159 13.9% 5.4% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Braila

$169 14.8% 11.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Braila

$47 4.1% 29.3% $19

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Braila

$23 2% 57.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $376 in Braila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $39 in Braila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $206 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

180,302

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Braila 380 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Braila

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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Cluj-Napoca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $376 in Braila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 65% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $366 in Braila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Braila is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.