Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Mamaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mamaia: $1,039 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Mamaia
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Mamaia Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Mamaia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,039

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,039 in Mamaia.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Mamaia $1,039

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,585 in Mamaia.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Mamaia $1,585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,132 in Mamaia.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Mamaia $2,132

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 37% more expensive than in Mamaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Mamaia is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.3

$10.00 RON 47.93

25.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 263

$46.70 RON 224

17.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 46.01

$7.73 RON 37.08

24.06%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.11

$2.70 RON 12.93

40.00%

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

$2.30 RON 11.05

$2.00 RON 9.59

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.66

$1.71 RON 8.21

29.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.91

$2.28 RON 10.95

45.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.13

$2.69 RON 12.92

56.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.69

$1.53 RON 7.36

4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.92

$1.25 RON 5.99

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.12

$1.61 RON 7.73

4.97%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 18.01

$3.33 RON 15.98

12.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.48

$8.34 RON 39.99

8.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.23

$6.76 RON 32.42

5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.9

$9.83 RON 47.15

16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.65

$1.13 RON 5.43

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.58

$1.57 RON 7.54

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 9.03

$1.60 RON 7.66

17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.36

$2.19 RON 10.51

8.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.42

$0.86 RON 4.13

6.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.31

$0.95 RON 4.58

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.33

$0.89 RON 4.29

1.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.83

$0.84 RON 4.03

20.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.79

$6.03 RON 28.92

6.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.54

$6.16 RON 29.56

20.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.97

$1.06 RON 5.10

17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.30

$1.68 RON 8.05

2.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.64

$0.67 RON 3.22

13.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 212

$20.09 RON 96.3

120.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.78 RON 3.72

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.61

$0.76 RON 3.63

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.65

$6.75 RON 32.36

22.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.30

$1.60 RON 7.67

21.25%

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

$28.3K RON 135.9K

$27.6K RON 132.2K

2.79%

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

$24.7K RON 118.6K

$27.6K RON 132.3K

-10.31%

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

$151 RON 723

$145 RON 694

4.19%

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

$8.44 RON 40.46

$7.99 RON 38.32

5.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.94

$9.19 RON 44.09

-0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 227

$41.87 RON 201

13.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 106

$19.21 RON 92.1

14.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.86

$7.03 RON 33.73

33.00%

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

$577 RON 2,768

$434 RON 2,081

32.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.3K

$7,018 RON 33.7K

34.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 418

$67.1 RON 322

29.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 212

$40.98 RON 197

8.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 474

$74.5 RON 357

32.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 512

$94.4 RON 453

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,205

$386 RON 1,853

72.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,569

$294 RON 1,410

82.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,882

$585 RON 2,807

109.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,872

$444 RON 2,128

81.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.9K

$1,887 RON 9,050

142.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.0K

$1,480 RON 7,099

125.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,949

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.5

2.31%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mamaia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Mamaia

$294 28.3% 45.1% $242

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Mamaia

$208 20% 9.8% $23

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Mamaia

$167 16.1% 23.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Mamaia

$162 15.6% 3.8% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Mamaia

$125 12% 17.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Mamaia

$56 5.4% 15.3% $10

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Mamaia

$27 2.6% 48.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $386 in Mamaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $47 in Mamaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $208 per month, with Mamaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Mamaia

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

441

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cluj-Napoca Mamaia 480 km

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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 Mamaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mamaia is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,134 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,558 in Mamaia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $386 in Mamaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mamaia runs roughly 55% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $434 in Mamaia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mamaia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Mamaia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mamaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.