Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Calarasi, Romania

Name: Calarasi
Address: Calarasi, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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 Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,423 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $884 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Calarasi $884

A couple spends around $2,126 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,366 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Calarasi $1,366

A family of three spends $2,830 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,848 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Calarasi $1,848

Cluj-Napoca costs about 61% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cluj-Napoca sits 5% above the global median, while Calarasi is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.0

$8.87 RON 42.28

41.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 261

$33.46 RON 160

63.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 45.75

$7.54 RON 35.95

27.19%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.01

$2.08 RON 9.90

81.73%

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

$2.30 RON 10.99

$1.83 RON 8.74

25.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.60

$1.72 RON 8.18

29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.82

$1.53 RON 7.30

116.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.01

$1.44 RON 6.89

191.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.64

$1.45 RON 6.90

10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.88

$0.92 RON 4.39

56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.07

$1.49 RON 7.09

13.42%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 17.91

$2.71 RON 12.92

38.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.24

$7.58 RON 36.16

19.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.04

$4.30 RON 20.51

66.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.6

$8.38 RON 39.96

36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.61

$1.09 RON 5.18

27.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$1.38 RON 6.60

14.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 8.97

$1.23 RON 5.89

52.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.29

$1.45 RON 6.91

63.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.39

$0.44 RON 2.08

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.29

$0.62 RON 2.96

45.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.31

$0.44 RON 2.09

104.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.80

$0.81 RON 3.86

24.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.62

$6.19 RON 29.51

3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.34

$4.23 RON 20.19

75.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.94

$0.98 RON 4.67

27.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.25

$1.38 RON 6.57

25.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$0.41 RON 1.93

85.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 211

$12.30 RON 58.6

259.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.60 RON 2.88

40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.59

$0.61 RON 2.89

57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.43

$6.34 RON 30.21

30.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.24

$1.62 RON 7.74

19.75%

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

$28.3K RON 135.1K

$28.3K RON 135.2K

-0.07%

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

$24.7K RON 118.0K

$25.1K RON 119.7K

-1.41%

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

$151 RON 719

$163 RON 778

-7.49%

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

$8.44 RON 40.24

$6.16 RON 29.36

37.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.70

$6.51 RON 31.06

40.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 226

$47.78 RON 228

-0.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 105

$51.6 RON 246

-57.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.61

$8.22 RON 39.18

13.75%

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

$577 RON 2,752

$375 RON 1,787

54.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.1K

$5,713 RON 27.2K

65.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 415

$73.5 RON 350

18.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 211

$20.65 RON 98.5

114.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 471

$89.8 RON 428

10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$95.9 RON 457

11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,187

$313 RON 1,494

113.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,555

$191 RON 912

180.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,849

$413 RON 1,968

197.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,851

$327 RON 1,559

147.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.8K

$1,190 RON 5,673

283.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 15.9K

$965 RON 4,602

246.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,916

$728 RON 3,473

70.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.85

-15.29%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Calarasi

$191 21.6% 64.3% $344

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Calarasi

$166 18.8% 27.9% $64

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Calarasi

$143 16.2% 34.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Calarasi

$176 19.9% 4.3% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Calarasi

$126 14.3% 17% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Calarasi

$64 7.3% 2.8% $1.9

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Calarasi

$18 2% 66.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $313 in Calarasi. 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 70% 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 $33 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

65,181

💱 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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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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, $884 in Calarasi – Calarasi comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,134 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $1,326 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca.

Kindergarten costs $577 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $375 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Cluj-Napoca, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Cluj-Napoca at $1,423. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cluj-Napoca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – 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 Calarasi. 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.