Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Drobeta-Turnu Severin

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $885 a month against $1,424 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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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Drobeta-Turnu Severin Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇷🇴 Romania

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,483 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,081 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,081

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 61% more expensive than in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Drobeta-Turnu Severin is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.1

$8.34 RON 39.60

46.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 262

$41.68 RON 198

32.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.58

$7.24 RON 34.38

29.70%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.00

$3.20 RON 15.19

18.44%

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

$2.40 RON 11.41

$2.09 RON 9.94

14.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.05

$1.80 RON 8.54

29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$3.07 RON 14.58

4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$3.92 RON 18.60

4.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.47

$1.37 RON 6.51

14.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$1.11 RON 5.27

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.38 RON 6.55

30.43%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.56

$3.47 RON 16.50

6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.84

$7.98 RON 37.89

15.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 33.99

$5.80 RON 27.54

23.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.1

$7.80 RON 37.05

51.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$1.19 RON 5.64

15.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.56 RON 7.42

2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.48 RON 7.04

26.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 10.96

$2.53 RON 12.02

-8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.71 RON 3.37

29.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.61 RON 2.88

44.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.57

$1.04 RON 4.92

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.87 RON 4.15

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$6.02 RON 28.58

5.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.60

$7.16 RON 33.99

4.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$0.91 RON 4.34

34.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.38 RON 6.55

26.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.63 RON 2.97

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 208

$22.28 RON 106

97.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.89 RON 4.24

-8.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.87 RON 4.15

-5.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.19

$9.31 RON 44.19

-11.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.41

$1.88 RON 8.91

5.32%

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

$28.3K RON 134.3K

$28.6K RON 135.8K

-1.11%

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

$24.6K RON 116.8K

$25.3K RON 120.1K

-2.76%

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

$152 RON 721

$116 RON 551

30.89%

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

$8.05 RON 38.23

$8.90 RON 42.27

-9.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.49

$12.27 RON 58.2

-23.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 232

$32.17 RON 153

52.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$21.19 RON 101

5.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.24

$6.66 RON 31.61

39.94%

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

$577 RON 2,742

$435 RON 2,066

32.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

$10.2K RON 48.6K

20.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 414

$101 RON 478

-13.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 207

$38.50 RON 183

13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 474

$86.8 RON 412

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$89.8 RON 426

19.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,144

$385 RON 1,828

72.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,558

$170 RON 808

216.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,919

$603 RON 2,861

106.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,971

$458 RON 2,177

82.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.8K

$1,630 RON 7,739

181.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.5K

$1,544 RON 7,329

111.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

$914 RON 4,339

41.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.02

-5.27%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Drobeta-Turnu Severin: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$170 19.2% 68.4% $369

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$194 21.9% 15.8% $37

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$166 18.7% 22.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$137 15.5% 19% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$142 16.1% 6.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$45 5.1% 32.7% $22

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$30 3.4% 41.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Cluj-Napoca and $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 42% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $42 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $194 per month, with Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

92,617

💱 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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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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Cluj-Napoca, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $662 in Cluj-Napoca versus $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Drobeta-Turnu Severin runs roughly 49% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $435 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Drobeta-Turnu Severin but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Drobeta-Turnu Severin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Drobeta-Turnu Severin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Drobeta-Turnu Severin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.