Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Cluj-Napoca and in Bucharest: $1,382 and $1,351 a month, rent and utilities included.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Cluj-Napoca $1,382
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Cluj-Napoca $2,085
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,787 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Cluj-Napoca $2,787
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 2% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cluj-Napoca 3% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.81 RON 61.0

$14.46 RON 68.9

-11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 RON 269

$57.7 RON 275

-2.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 RON 44.50

$7.50 RON 35.72

24.53%

Cappuccino

$3.73 RON 17.80

$3.43 RON 16.32

8.75%

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

$2.33 RON 11.09

$2.46 RON 11.72

-5.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.95

$2.33 RON 11.09

-1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 RON 15.22

$3.80 RON 18.10

-16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 RON 20.51

$4.10 RON 19.56

4.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.75

$1.65 RON 7.85

-1.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 RON 7.24

$1.35 RON 6.44

12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.35

$1.78 RON 8.48

-1.69%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.40

$3.66 RON 17.46

5.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 RON 44.57

$8.57 RON 40.84

9.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.70

$6.80 RON 32.41

7.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 RON 54.6

$11.72 RON 55.8

-2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.83

$1.29 RON 6.16

10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.84

$1.56 RON 7.43

5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.99

$1.54 RON 7.34

22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 RON 11.91

$2.48 RON 11.84

0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RON 4.63

$0.83 RON 3.95

16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.35

$0.80 RON 3.80

13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 RON 4.68

$0.84 RON 4.01

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.86

$0.93 RON 4.42

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 RON 29.14

$6.44 RON 30.68

-4.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 RON 35.11

$6.32 RON 30.13

16.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.11

$1.26 RON 5.99

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.22

$1.60 RON 7.65

8.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.81 RON 3.88

-4.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.49 RON 145

$21.13 RON 101

44.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$0.60 RON 2.88

43.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 RON 4.74

$0.61 RON 2.93

63.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.42 RON 40.12

$6.17 RON 29.41

36.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.22

$1.96 RON 9.34

-1.53%

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

$28.2K RON 134.3K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

0.11%

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

$24.9K RON 118.7K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

-5.27%

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

$157 RON 748

$197 RON 938

-20.24%

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

$8.59 RON 40.94

$8.34 RON 39.74

3.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.79 RON 46.65

$9.19 RON 43.80

6.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.00 RON 224

$49.87 RON 238

-5.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 RON 107

$24.99 RON 119

-10.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.65 RON 45.99

$8.46 RON 40.31

14.07%

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

$591 RON 2,815

$639 RON 3,046

-7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 RON 46.2K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-32.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.2 RON 416

$90.6 RON 432

-3.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 RON 218

$38.05 RON 181

20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 480

$79.7 RON 380

26.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 RON 521

$93.2 RON 444

17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 RON 3,003

$673 RON 3,209

-6.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 RON 2,475

$449 RON 2,139

15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 RON 5,540

$1,098 RON 5,234

5.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,951

$729 RON 3,474

13.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,711 RON 22.5K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

25.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,394 RON 16.2K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

55.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,223 RON 5,826

$1,323 RON 6,306

-7.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

6.74

0.89%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 13.6% $70

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 5.8% $14

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 3.3% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5%

Bucharest

$214 16% 22.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 12.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 28.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $630 in Cluj-Napoca and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,382 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $630 in Cluj-Napoca versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,382 per month in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 44% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.