Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,424 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $2,858 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Calafat $1,982

Cluj-Napoca costs about 40% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cluj-Napoca sits 5% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.1

$7.35 RON 34.92

66.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 262

$38.38 RON 182

43.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.58

$7.21 RON 34.23

30.24%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.00

$2.14 RON 10.14

77.10%

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

$2.40 RON 11.41

$1.44 RON 6.82

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.05

$0.87 RON 4.11

167.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$1.08 RON 5.11

196.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$1.83 RON 8.71

124.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.47

$1.12 RON 5.30

40.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$0.76 RON 3.63

85.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.35 RON 6.39

33.33%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.56

$2.33 RON 11.06

58.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.84

$6.69 RON 31.78

37.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 33.99

$6.35 RON 30.13

12.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.1

$6.24 RON 29.61

89.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$1.01 RON 4.80

35.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.49 RON 7.07

7.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.28 RON 6.06

46.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 10.96

$1.44 RON 6.84

60.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.60 RON 2.86

53.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.75 RON 3.56

17.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.57

$0.69 RON 3.28

39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.71 RON 3.38

35.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$5.31 RON 25.19

19.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.60

$6.27 RON 29.76

19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$0.88 RON 4.16

38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.45 RON 6.90

20.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.75 RON 3.55

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 208

$22.34 RON 106

96.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.53 RON 2.53

52.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.51 RON 2.42

60.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.19

$9.77 RON 46.39

-15.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.41

$1.51 RON 7.15

31.13%

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

$28.3K RON 134.3K

$25.5K RON 120.9K

11.08%

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

$24.6K RON 116.8K

$25.5K RON 121.1K

-3.56%

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

$152 RON 721

$214 RON 1,017

-29.15%

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

$8.05 RON 38.23

$7.55 RON 35.87

6.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.49

$6.33 RON 30.04

48.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 232

$37.82 RON 180

29.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$19.06 RON 90.5

17.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.24

$7.40 RON 35.13

25.95%

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

$577 RON 2,742

$412 RON 1,958

40.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

$8,151 RON 38.7K

50.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 414

$63.5 RON 302

37.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 207

$42.04 RON 200

3.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 474

$84.2 RON 400

18.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$83.5 RON 396

28.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,144

$380 RON 1,805

74.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,558

$294 RON 1,398

83.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,919

$617 RON 2,928

102.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,971

$468 RON 2,220

78.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.8K

$1,910 RON 9,070

140.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.5K

$1,190 RON 5,652

174.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

$812 RON 3,856

59.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

10.83%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Calafat

$294 29% 45.4% $244

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 28.6% $66

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 42.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 34.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 19.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 22.1% $15

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 45% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $662 in Cluj-Napoca versus $380 in Calafat. 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 59% higher in Cluj-Napoca. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Cluj-Napoca versus $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

18,500

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cluj-Napoca Calafat 310 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,137 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $662 in Cluj-Napoca.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,016 in Calafat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Calafat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Calafat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cluj-Napoca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.