Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Pascani

For one person, living is cheaper in Pascani: $967 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Pascani
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Pascani Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Pascani

🇷🇴 Romania

$967

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $967 in Pascani.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Pascani $967

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,444 in Pascani.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Pascani $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,921 in Pascani.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Pascani $1,921

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 47% more expensive than in Pascani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Pascani is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.1

$8.50 RON 40.37

43.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 262

$41.83 RON 199

32.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.58

$8.35 RON 39.65

12.46%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.00

$2.08 RON 9.85

82.21%

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

$2.40 RON 11.41

$1.53 RON 7.25

56.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.05

$1.03 RON 4.88

126.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$1.69 RON 8.04

89.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$2.27 RON 10.77

81.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.47

$1.28 RON 6.06

22.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$1.08 RON 5.13

30.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.39 RON 6.62

29.50%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.56

$2.79 RON 13.25

32.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.84

$8.07 RON 38.32

14.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 33.99

$5.93 RON 28.14

20.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.1

$10.02 RON 47.57

17.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$0.94 RON 4.46

45.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.31 RON 6.24

22.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.45 RON 6.88

28.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 10.96

$1.74 RON 8.28

32.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.69 RON 3.30

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.51 RON 2.41

72.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.57

$0.85 RON 4.05

12.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.71 RON 3.38

35.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$5.93 RON 28.14

6.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.60

$7.45 RON 35.37

0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.08 RON 5.12

12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.52 RON 7.23

15.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.72 RON 3.40

-2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 208

$24.40 RON 116

79.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.72 RON 3.41

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.70 RON 3.32

17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.19

$12.34 RON 58.6

-33.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.41

$1.44 RON 6.84

37.50%

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

$28.3K RON 134.3K

$28.4K RON 134.9K

-0.46%

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

$24.6K RON 116.8K

$25.0K RON 118.8K

-1.65%

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

$152 RON 721

$99.3 RON 471

52.94%

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

$8.05 RON 38.23

$6.22 RON 29.53

29.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.49

$8.28 RON 39.34

13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 232

$38.05 RON 181

28.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

$21.85 RON 104

2.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.24

$6.43 RON 30.54

44.95%

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

$577 RON 2,742

$417 RON 1,979

38.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

$7,438 RON 35.3K

65.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 414

$52.6 RON 250

66.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 207

$29.74 RON 141

46.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 474

$76.1 RON 361

31.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$78.1 RON 371

37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,144

$384 RON 1,825

72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,558

$333 RON 1,582

61.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,919

$705 RON 3,346

76.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,971

$444 RON 2,110

88.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.8K

$1,801 RON 8,550

155.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.5K

$1,438 RON 6,828

126.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

$729 RON 3,460

77.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.47

-10.98%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Pascani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Pascani

$333 34.5% 38.2% $206

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Pascani

$190 19.6% 17.7% $41

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Pascani

$141 14.6% 34.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Pascani

$114 11.8% 32.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Pascani

$106 11% 30% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Pascani

$51 5.3% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Pascani

$31 3.3% 39% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Cluj-Napoca and $384 in Pascani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $42 in Pascani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $190 per month, with Pascani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Pascani

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

35,897

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Pascani 240 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Pascani

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 Pascani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pascani is about 32% 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 78% 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 $384 in Pascani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pascani runs roughly 44% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $417 in Pascani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Pascani is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Pascani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.