Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,382 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,382 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,382
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,085
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,787 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,787
Cape Town $3,307

Cluj-Napoca is about 12% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cluj-Napoca and Cape Town sit above the global median – Cluj-Napoca by 3%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.81 RON 60.6

$11.78 R 194

8.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 RON 267

$46.55 R 768

21.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 RON 44.17

$5.96 R 98.4

56.71%

Cappuccino

$3.73 RON 17.66

$2.47 R 40.80

51.01%

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

$2.33 RON 11.00

$1.33 R 21.91

75.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.87

$1.03 R 16.99

123.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 RON 15.11

$3.01 R 49.72

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 RON 20.36

$3.66 R 60.4

17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.39 R 22.96

17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 RON 7.18

$1.19 R 19.60

27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.28

$2.11 R 34.84

-17.06%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.26

$3.01 R 49.58

28.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 RON 44.23

$8.96 R 148

4.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.44

$6.65 R 110

9.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 RON 54.1

$9.29 R 153

23.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.83 R 30.13

-21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.78

$1.90 R 31.31

-13.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.92

$1.75 R 28.83

8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 RON 11.82

$2.09 R 34.41

19.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$1.55 R 25.64

-37.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.32

$1.49 R 24.53

-38.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$1.30 R 21.41

-24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.83

$1.16 R 19.19

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 RON 28.92

$3.71 R 61.2

64.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 RON 34.84

$6.06 R 100

21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$1.39 R 22.85

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.16

$2.20 R 36.32

-21.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$1.51 R 24.98

-49.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.49 RON 144

$61.0 R 1,006

-49.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.63 R 10.33

36.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 RON 4.71

$1.53 R 25.29

-34.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.42 RON 39.82

$4.81 R 79.4

75.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.58 R 26.08

22.15%

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

$28.2K RON 133.3K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-20.61%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$31.7K R 523.8K

-21.56%

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

$157 RON 743

$116 R 1,920

34.91%

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

$8.59 RON 40.63

$28.37 R 468

-69.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.79 RON 46.30

$40.69 R 671

-75.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.00 RON 222

$48.85 R 806

-3.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 RON 106

$11.13 R 184

101.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.65 RON 45.64

$8.83 R 146

9.29%

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

$591 RON 2,794

$261 R 4,314

125.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 RON 45.9K

$6,702 R 110.6K

44.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.2 RON 412

$55.4 R 914

57.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 RON 217

$32.27 R 532

41.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 476

$118 R 1,939

-14.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 RON 517

$107 R 1,766

2.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 RON 2,981

$1,015 R 16.7K

-37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 RON 2,457

$715 R 11.8K

-27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 RON 5,499

$1,801 R 29.7K

-35.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,922

$1,330 R 22.0K

-37.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,711 RON 22.3K

$2,331 R 38.5K

102.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,394 RON 16.1K

$1,513 R 25.0K

124.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,223 RON 5,783

$1,636 R 27.0K

-25.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

10.97

-38.01%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 37.7% $196

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 5.5% $13

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 20.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 5.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 91.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $630 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 34% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

1 h behind Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Cape Town 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 13% more than Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,074 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cluj-Napoca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 100% less in Cluj-Napoca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cluj-Napoca, where all-in costs run around $1,382, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Cluj-Napoca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cluj-Napoca costs $1,382 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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