Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Piatra Neamt

For one person, living is cheaper in Piatra Neamt: $781 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Piatra Neamt
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Piatra Neamt Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Piatra Neamt

🇷🇴 Romania

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Piatra Neamt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $781 in Piatra Neamt.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Piatra Neamt $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,188 in Piatra Neamt.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Piatra Neamt $1,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,596 in Piatra Neamt.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Piatra Neamt $1,596

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 82% more expensive than in Piatra Neamt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Piatra Neamt is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.0

$8.94 RON 42.62

40.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 261

$32.41 RON 155

69.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 45.74

$7.23 RON 34.48

32.64%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.00

$2.25 RON 10.73

68.00%

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

$2.30 RON 10.98

$1.42 RON 6.79

61.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.59

$1.22 RON 5.80

81.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.81

$1.91 RON 9.13

73.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.01

$2.28 RON 10.89

84.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.64

$1.40 RON 6.65

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.87

$0.97 RON 4.63

48.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.07

$1.39 RON 6.61

21.58%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 17.90

$2.79 RON 13.30

34.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.22

$7.98 RON 38.03

13.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.03

$5.68 RON 27.09

25.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.6

$9.38 RON 44.74

22.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.61

$0.91 RON 4.36

52.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$1.28 RON 6.09

23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 8.97

$1.19 RON 5.69

57.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.29

$1.89 RON 9.02

25.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.39

$0.58 RON 2.79

58.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.28

$0.53 RON 2.54

69.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.31

$0.81 RON 3.86

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.80

$0.72 RON 3.45

40.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.61

$5.71 RON 27.24

12.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.33

$4.61 RON 21.97

60.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.94

$0.91 RON 4.33

37.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.25

$1.09 RON 5.20

58.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$0.61 RON 2.90

24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 211

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.80 RON 3.82

5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.59

$0.87 RON 4.17

10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.41

$7.32 RON 34.88

12.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.24

$1.61 RON 7.66

20.50%

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

$28.3K RON 135.0K

$28.1K RON 134.0K

0.74%

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

$24.7K RON 117.9K

$25.3K RON 120.4K

-2.09%

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

$151 RON 719

$99.3 RON 473

51.91%

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

$8.44 RON 40.22

$7.02 RON 33.44

20.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.68

$5.59 RON 26.66

63.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 226

$31.63 RON 151

49.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 105

$8.27 RON 39.42

166.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.59

$5.75 RON 27.42

62.61%

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

$577 RON 2,751

$1,341 RON 6,391

-56.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 415

$52.6 RON 251

65.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 211

$30.37 RON 145

45.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 471

$75.2 RON 358

31.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 509

$77.2 RON 368

38.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,186

$280 RON 1,337

138.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,554

$189 RON 903

182.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,847

$407 RON 1,940

201.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,849

$258 RON 1,232

212.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.8K

$2,263 RON 10.8K

101.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 15.9K

$1,807 RON 8,615

84.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,914

$1,329 RON 6,337

-6.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.63

0.30%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Piatra Neamt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Piatra Neamt

$189 24.3% 64.6% $346

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Piatra Neamt

$178 22.8% 22.6% $52

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Piatra Neamt

$145 18.6% 33.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Piatra Neamt

$112 14.3% 33.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Piatra Neamt

$106 13.6% 30.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Piatra Neamt

$43 5.5% 34.7% $23

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Piatra Neamt

$7.6 * 1% 85.6% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $280 in Piatra Neamt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piatra Neamt pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $32 in Piatra Neamt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $178 per month, with Piatra Neamt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Piatra Neamt

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

85,055

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Piatra Neamt 210 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 Piatra Neamt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piatra Neamt is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Cluj-Napoca. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $280 in Piatra Neamt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,341 in Piatra Neamt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Piatra Neamt – a meal for two runs $32 versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $781 in Piatra Neamt versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Piatra Neamt but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Piatra Neamt 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 Piatra Neamt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.