Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Oradea

For one person, living is cheaper in Oradea: $1,023 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
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Oradea Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,023 in Oradea.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Oradea $1,023

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,523 in Oradea.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Oradea $1,523

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,022 in Oradea.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Oradea $2,022

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 39% more expensive than in Oradea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Oradea is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.2

$8.26 RON 39.50

52.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 262

$41.28 RON 198

32.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 45.90

$7.42 RON 35.48

29.25%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.07

$2.58 RON 12.34

46.51%

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

$2.30 RON 11.02

$1.90 RON 9.07

21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.63

$1.78 RON 8.54

24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.87

$2.14 RON 10.26

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.08

$3.19 RON 15.25

31.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.67

$1.47 RON 7.05

8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$1.05 RON 5.04

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.10

$1.16 RON 5.54

45.69%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 17.97

$2.78 RON 13.28

35.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.38

$8.13 RON 38.91

11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.15

$6.13 RON 29.33

16.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.8

$8.81 RON 42.16

30.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.63

$1.07 RON 5.12

29.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.56

$1.50 RON 7.18

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 9.00

$1.44 RON 6.90

30.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.33

$1.36 RON 6.52

74.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.41

$0.80 RON 3.83

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.87 RON 4.15

3.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.68 RON 3.25

32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.81

$0.81 RON 3.88

24.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.72

$5.63 RON 26.92

14.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.46

$5.90 RON 28.23

25.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.96

$0.99 RON 4.71

26.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.28

$1.76 RON 8.42

-1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.82 RON 3.92

-7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 212

$22.55 RON 108

96.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.00

$0.74 RON 3.55

13.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.70 RON 3.33

37.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.56

$7.27 RON 34.77

13.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.27

$1.78 RON 8.50

8.99%

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

$28.3K RON 135.5K

$28.0K RON 134.2K

1.01%

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

$24.7K RON 118.4K

$24.8K RON 118.6K

-0.16%

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

$151 RON 722

$137 RON 655

10.25%

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

$8.44 RON 40.37

$6.29 RON 30.10

34.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.84

$7.80 RON 37.32

17.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 227

$47.06 RON 225

0.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 105

$16.40 RON 78.5

34.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.75

$7.54 RON 36.06

24.01%

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

$577 RON 2,761

$385 RON 1,841

49.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.2K

$8,983 RON 43.0K

5.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 417

$60.6 RON 290

43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 212

$37.01 RON 177

19.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 473

$55.6 RON 266

77.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 511

$62.9 RON 301

69.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,197

$428 RON 2,049

56.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,563

$346 RON 1,654

54.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,868

$643 RON 3,077

90.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,863

$504 RON 2,411

60.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.9K

$2,267 RON 10.8K

101.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.0K

$1,806 RON 8,641

85.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,935

$896 RON 4,289

38.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.1

-6.34%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oradea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Oradea

$346 33.8% 35.5% $190

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Oradea

$186 18.2% 19% $44

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Oradea

$151 14.8% 30.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Oradea

$151 14.8% 10.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Oradea

$97 9.5% 35.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Oradea

$62 6.1% 5.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Oradea

$30 2.9% 43.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $428 in Oradea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 38% 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 $41 in Oradea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $186 per month, with Oradea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Oradea

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

196,367

💱 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 Oradea 130 km

From you

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 Oradea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oradea is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% 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: $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $428 in Oradea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Oradea 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 $385 in Oradea. 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 Oradea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Oradea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Oradea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.