Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Carei

For one person, living is cheaper in Carei: $974 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Carei
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Carei Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,424 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $974 in Carei, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Carei $974

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $1,549 in Carei, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Carei $1,549

A family of three spends $2,858 per month in Cluj-Napoca vs $2,124 in Carei, rent included.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Carei $2,124

Cluj-Napoca costs about 46% more than Carei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cluj-Napoca sits 5% above the global median, while Carei is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.1

$11.32 RON 53.8

8.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 262

$40.18 RON 191

37.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.58

$8.33 RON 39.54

12.73%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.00

$2.58 RON 12.23

46.90%

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

$2.40 RON 11.41

$1.81 RON 8.58

32.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.05

$1.43 RON 6.79

62.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$2.03 RON 9.65

57.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$2.81 RON 13.33

46.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.47

$1.43 RON 6.79

9.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$1.10 RON 5.20

28.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.43 RON 6.80

25.87%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.56

$2.88 RON 13.68

28.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.84

$7.91 RON 37.58

16.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 33.99

$5.99 RON 28.43

19.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.1

$9.81 RON 46.58

20.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$1.09 RON 5.20

25.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.51 RON 7.17

5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.45 RON 6.90

28.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 10.96

$1.92 RON 9.10

20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.73 RON 3.48

26.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.75 RON 3.54

17.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.57

$0.94 RON 4.47

2.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.68 RON 3.24

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$5.89 RON 27.97

7.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.60

$6.02 RON 28.60

24.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.02 RON 4.85

19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.64 RON 7.78

6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.67 RON 3.19

4.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 208

$23.08 RON 110

90.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.83 RON 3.92

-2.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.64 RON 3.02

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.19

$6.59 RON 31.31

25.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.41

$1.85 RON 8.78

7.03%

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

$28.3K RON 134.3K

$32.3K RON 153.4K

-12.45%

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

$24.6K RON 116.8K

$28.9K RON 137.3K

-14.93%

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

$152 RON 721

$117 RON 556

29.64%

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

$8.05 RON 38.23

$7.68 RON 36.49

4.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.49

$8.69 RON 41.28

7.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 232

$40.46 RON 192

20.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$21.14 RON 100

5.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.24

$8.14 RON 38.63

14.50%

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

$577 RON 2,742

$381 RON 1,810

51.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

$8,339 RON 39.6K

47.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 414

$60.7 RON 288

43.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 207

$39.68 RON 188

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 474

$67.5 RON 320

47.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$93.1 RON 442

15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,144

$339 RON 1,610

95.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,558

$270 RON 1,283

99.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,919

$624 RON 2,962

99.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,971

$523 RON 2,484

59.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.8K

$2,111 RON 10.0K

117.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.5K

$1,222 RON 5,803

167.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.97

-4.59%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Carei: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Carei

$270 27.7% 49.8% $268

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Carei

$192 19.7% 16.9% $39

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Carei

$175 18% 18.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Carei

$133 13.7% 21.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Carei

$117 12.1% 22.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Carei

$57 5.8% 16% $11

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Carei

$30 3.1% 42.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $662 in Cluj-Napoca versus $339 in Carei. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Cluj-Napoca versus $40 in Carei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $192 – making Carei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Carei

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

25,911

💱 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 Carei 130 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 Carei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca costs about 46% more than Carei, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,137 per month in Cluj-Napoca and $1,462 in Carei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $339 there versus $662 in Cluj-Napoca.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Cluj-Napoca, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Cluj-Napoca and $40 in Carei. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca and $974 in Carei. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Carei – 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.

For expats, Carei is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.