Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,102 in Medias.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Medias $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,683 in Medias.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Medias $1,683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,263 in Medias.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Medias $2,263

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 29% more expensive than in Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Medias is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.1

$11.14 RON 52.9

9.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 262

$51.8 RON 246

6.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.58

$7.35 RON 34.91

27.76%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.00

$3.70 RON 17.57

2.43%

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

$2.40 RON 11.41

$2.46 RON 11.67

-2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.05

$2.25 RON 10.70

3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$3.20 RON 15.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$3.27 RON 15.54

25.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.47

$1.23 RON 5.82

27.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$1.43 RON 6.77

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.73 RON 8.23

4.05%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.56

$3.59 RON 17.03

3.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.84

$8.65 RON 41.09

6.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 33.99

$6.69 RON 31.78

7.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.1

$12.89 RON 61.2

-8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$1.48 RON 7.01

-7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.48 RON 7.04

8.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.55 RON 7.34

20.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 10.96

$2.58 RON 12.26

-10.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.77 RON 3.66

19.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.75 RON 3.57

17.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.57

$0.80 RON 3.78

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.75 RON 3.56

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$6.21 RON 29.47

1.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.60

$7.54 RON 35.81

-0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.23 RON 5.82

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.80 RON 8.55

-2.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.70 RON 3.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 208

$23.96 RON 114

83.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.66 RON 3.14

22.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.68 RON 3.22

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.19

$6.60 RON 31.32

25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.41

$1.38 RON 6.56

43.48%

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

$28.3K RON 134.3K

$29.0K RON 137.8K

-2.52%

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

$24.6K RON 116.8K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

-2.56%

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

$152 RON 721

$180 RON 856

-15.85%

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

$8.05 RON 38.23

$7.25 RON 34.44

11.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.49

$9.26 RON 43.94

1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 232

$37.03 RON 176

32.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$20.31 RON 96.5

9.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.24

$6.12 RON 29.07

52.29%

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

$577 RON 2,742

$438 RON 2,080

31.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

$7,770 RON 36.9K

58.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 414

$52.3 RON 249

66.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 207

$35.51 RON 169

23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 474

$73.5 RON 349

35.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$90.8 RON 431

17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,144

$389 RON 1,848

70.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,558

$292 RON 1,388

84.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,919

$602 RON 2,859

107.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,971

$453 RON 2,150

84.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.8K

$2,039 RON 9,680

125.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.5K

$1,480 RON 7,029

120.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.23

-8.02%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Medias

$292 26.5% 45.7% $246

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Medias

$222 20.2% 3.7% $8.5

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Medias

$197 17.9% 8.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Medias

$197 17.9% 16.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Medias

$113 10.3% 25.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Medias

$49 4.5% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Medias

$31 2.8% 40.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Cluj-Napoca and $389 in Medias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $52 in Medias for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $222 per month, with Medias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

53,564

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Medias 89 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medias is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,137 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,653 in Medias 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: $662 in Cluj-Napoca versus $389 in Medias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medias runs roughly 45% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $438 in Medias. 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.

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

Expats usually find Medias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.