Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Petrosani

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrosani: $752 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Petrosani
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Petrosani Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Petrosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $752 in Petrosani.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Petrosani $752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,165 in Petrosani.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Petrosani $1,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,578 in Petrosani.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Petrosani $1,578

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 89% more expensive than in Petrosani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Petrosani is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.1

$14.70 RON 69.8

-16.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 262

$32.60 RON 155

69.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.58

$7.54 RON 35.80

24.54%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.00

$2.16 RON 10.25

75.46%

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

$2.40 RON 11.41

$1.65 RON 7.86

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.05

$1.50 RON 7.12

55.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$1.49 RON 7.08

114.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$2.15 RON 10.21

91.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.47

$1.34 RON 6.38

17.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$1.12 RON 5.31

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.07 RON 5.09

68.22%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.56

$3.76 RON 17.85

-1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.84

$8.18 RON 38.82

12.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 33.99

$6.88 RON 32.68

4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.1

$12.16 RON 57.7

-2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$1.26 RON 5.96

8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.31 RON 6.22

22.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.57 RON 7.47

19.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 10.96

$1.48 RON 7.04

56.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.66 RON 3.13

39.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.61 RON 2.90

44.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.57

$0.88 RON 4.18

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.92 RON 4.35

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$6.21 RON 29.48

1.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.60

$6.15 RON 29.21

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.24 RON 5.88

-1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.64 RON 7.79

6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.87 RON 4.12

-19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 208

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.62 RON 2.94

30.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.60 RON 2.85

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.19

$6.39 RON 30.34

29.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.41

$1.74 RON 8.26

13.79%

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

$28.3K RON 134.3K

$28.5K RON 135.2K

-0.63%

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

$24.6K RON 116.8K

$25.5K RON 121.2K

-3.64%

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

$152 RON 721

$193 RON 915

-21.23%

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

$8.05 RON 38.23

$8.45 RON 40.11

-4.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.49

$5.28 RON 25.05

77.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 232

$30.02 RON 143

63.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 106

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.24

$5.36 RON 25.44

73.88%

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

$577 RON 2,742

$663 RON 3,146

-12.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.4K

$18.9K RON 89.8K

-34.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 414

$16.79 RON 79.7

419.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 207

$39.85 RON 189

9.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 474

$81.1 RON 385

23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$85.4 RON 405

25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,144

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,558

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,919

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,971

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 21.8K

$907 RON 4,305

406.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.5K

$889 RON 4,219

267.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,142

$1,103 RON 5,239

17.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.75

-1.48%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Petrosani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Petrosani

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Petrosani

$207 27.5% 10.4% $24

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Petrosani

$191 25.3% 11.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Petrosani

$206 27.5% 22% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Petrosani

$100 13.4% 34% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Petrosani

$41 5.4% 39.7% $27

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Petrosani

$7.1 * 0.9% 86.3% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cluj-Napoca pays 17% 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 $33 in Petrosani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $207 per month, with Petrosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Petrosani

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

51,476

💱 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 Petrosani 150 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Petrosani

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 Petrosani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petrosani is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% 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.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $663 in Petrosani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Petrosani – a meal for two runs $33 versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $752 in Petrosani versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Petrosani but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Petrosani 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 Petrosani are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Petrosani wins on affordability, Cluj-Napoca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.