Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Lugoj

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $769 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
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Lugoj Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $769 in Lugoj.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Lugoj $769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,201 in Lugoj.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Lugoj $1,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,633 in Lugoj.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Lugoj $1,633

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 85% more expensive than in Lugoj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Lugoj is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.3

$9.18 RON 43.73

33.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 263

$33.57 RON 160

64.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.75

$5.17 RON 24.66

81.62%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.06

$1.75 RON 8.32

116.57%

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

$2.40 RON 11.45

$1.54 RON 7.33

55.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.10

$1.51 RON 7.19

54.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.24

$2.05 RON 9.77

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.60

$1.94 RON 9.27

111.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$1.60 RON 7.63

-1.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.71

$0.97 RON 4.63

45.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.59

$0.65 RON 3.10

176.92%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.62

$1.28 RON 6.09

189.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 44.00

$3.36 RON 16.03

174.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 34.12

$3.89 RON 18.52

84.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.3

$4.23 RON 20.14

179.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.54

$1.02 RON 4.88

34.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.62

$1.24 RON 5.90

29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.90

$1.66 RON 7.91

12.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 11.00

$0.62 RON 2.95

272.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.66 RON 3.12

39.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.66 RON 3.13

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.59

$0.90 RON 4.28

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.56

$0.61 RON 2.91

57.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.19

$4.85 RON 23.10

30.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.73

$4.31 RON 20.53

74.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.81

$1.20 RON 5.71

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.33

$1.72 RON 8.21

1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$0.60 RON 2.86

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 209

$21.22 RON 101

106.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.87

$0.88 RON 4.18

-7.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.91

$0.87 RON 4.15

-5.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.34

$8.34 RON 39.77

-1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.45

$1.91 RON 9.10

3.66%

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

$28.3K RON 134.8K

$28.5K RON 135.8K

-0.75%

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

$24.6K RON 117.2K

$24.9K RON 118.6K

-1.13%

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

$152 RON 723

$52.6 RON 251

188.46%

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

$8.05 RON 38.38

$8.27 RON 39.41

-2.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.66

$9.56 RON 45.58

-1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 233

$21.04 RON 100

132.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$25.03 RON 119

-10.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.41

$9.48 RON 45.19

-1.69%

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

$577 RON 2,752

$584 RON 2,784

-1.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.6K

$12.4K RON 59.3K

-1.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 416

$88.5 RON 422

-1.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 208

$43.68 RON 208

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 476

$97.1 RON 463

2.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 511

$106 RON 504

1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,156

$182 RON 870

262.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,567

$212 RON 1,011

153.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,942

$312 RON 1,486

299.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,986

$314 RON 1,498

166.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.9K

$1,320 RON 6,290

248.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.6K

$1,057 RON 5,036

208.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,165

$919 RON 4,380

40.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lugoj: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Lugoj

$212 27.6% 60.6% $326

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Lugoj

$130 16.9% 43.6% $100

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Lugoj

$136 17.7% 36.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Lugoj

$70 9.2% 58.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Lugoj

$151 19.6% 0.9% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Lugoj

$40 5.2% 40.8% $28

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Lugoj

$29 3.8% 44.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Cluj-Napoca and $182 in Lugoj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 41% 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 $34 in Lugoj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $130 per month, with Lugoj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

49,742

💱 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

On the map

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From you

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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 Lugoj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugoj is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 41% 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 $182 in Lugoj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lugoj runs roughly 52% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $584 in Lugoj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $769 in Lugoj versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lugoj but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Lugoj 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 Lugoj are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lugoj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.