Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Colton, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,413 a month against $3,976 in Colton, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,800 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
191

Cost of Living Index in Colton, CA
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Colton, CA Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Colton, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Colton, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $3,976 in Colton, CA.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Colton, CA $3,976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $5,426 in Colton, CA.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Colton, CA $5,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $6,875 in Colton, CA.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Colton, CA $6,875

Living in Cluj-Napoca costs roughly 64% less than in Colton, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cluj-Napoca 4% above, Colton, CA 193% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.8

$25.14 $25.14

-50.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 260

$80.5 $80.5

-32.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.43

$15.04 $15.04

-35.31%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.58

$6.02 $6.02

-38.87%

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

$2.31 RON 11.02

$3.04 $3.04

-24.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 11.02

$2.42 $2.42

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.38

$7.88 $7.88

-59.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.33

$9.81 $9.81

-56.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.27 $1.27

28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.85

$4.95 $4.95

-71.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.71

$4.50 $4.50

-59.56%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.24

$5.51 $5.51

-30.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.73

$11.40 $11.40

-19.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.80

$16.16 $16.16

-56.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 56.2

$19.97 $19.97

-41.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.70

$5.22 $5.22

-73.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.10

$2.29 $2.29

-25.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 9.04

$4.90 $4.90

-61.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.54

$5.51 $5.51

-56.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.40

$3.37 $3.37

-72.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.19

$2.79 $2.79

-68.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.63

$2.03 $2.03

-52.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.65

$2.44 $2.44

-60.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.65

$11.91 $11.91

-47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.98

$15.03 $15.03

-49.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 6.01

$2.80 $2.80

-55.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.12

$3.64 $3.64

-53.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$7.16 $7.16

-89.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 148

$80.5 $80.5

-61.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.20

$3.16 $3.16

-72.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.43

$1.80 $1.80

-48.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.62

$32.60 $32.60

-73.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.16

$1.46 $1.46

31.51%

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

$28.9K RON 138.0K

$30.4K $30.4K

-4.99%

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

$24.4K RON 116.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

-10.16%

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

$156 RON 746

$266 $266

-41.26%

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

$8.74 RON 41.72

$76.7 $76.7

-88.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.87

$79.9 $79.9

-87.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 221

$35.47 $35.47

30.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 105

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 44.27

$18.09 $18.09

-48.76%

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

$587 RON 2,800

$1,203 $1,203

-51.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.5K

$32.4K $32.4K

-69.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 430

$63.1 $63.1

42.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 220

$48.16 $48.16

-4.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 469

$116 $116

-15.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 527

$121 $121

-8.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,977

$1,896 $1,896

-67.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,525

$2,336 $2,336

-77.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,456

$3,074 $3,074

-62.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,916

$3,339 $3,339

-75.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.9K

$9,778 $9,778

-53.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 16.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 6,019

$8,283 $8,283

-84.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.31

5.39%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Colton, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Colton, CA

$2.3K 58.8% 342% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Colton, CA

$469 11.8% 101% $236

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Colton, CA

$399 10% 84.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Colton, CA

$422 10.6% 142% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Colton, CA

$157 3.9% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Colton, CA

$72 1.8% 10.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Colton, CA

$121 3.1% 208% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,896 in Colton, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colton, CA pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Cluj-Napoca vs $81 in Colton, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $469 per month, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇺🇸 Colton, CA

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

15:48 3:48 PM

9 h behind Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

51,427

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Colton, CA 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Colton, CA

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 Colton, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 181% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,896 in Colton, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cluj-Napoca runs roughly 61% less than in Colton, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $587 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,203 in Colton, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Expats usually find Cluj-Napoca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Colton, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.