Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Satu Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Satu Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $930 in Satu Mare.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Satu Mare $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,406 in Satu Mare.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Satu Mare $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,883 in Satu Mare.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Satu Mare $1,883

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 52% more expensive than in Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Satu Mare is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$8.20 RON 38.81

52.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$32.51 RON 154

67.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$6.48 RON 30.67

50.15%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$2.50 RON 11.81

47.20%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.49 RON 7.04

55.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$1.28 RON 6.07

80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$1.87 RON 8.87

72.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$2.44 RON 11.55

74.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.13 RON 5.33

44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.06 RON 5.04

34.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$1.13 RON 5.36

61.06%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$2.69 RON 12.71

42.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$7.35 RON 34.79

24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$7.53 RON 35.63

-5.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$10.83 RON 51.2

8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.10 RON 5.19

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.30 RON 6.15

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$1.28 RON 6.04

47.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$1.43 RON 6.75

69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$1.19 RON 5.61

-22.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$1.37 RON 6.48

-35.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$0.88 RON 4.14

10.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$0.71 RON 3.34

36.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

$5.57 RON 26.38

11.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

$6.19 RON 29.29

21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$1.23 RON 5.80

2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.70 RON 8.06

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.54 RON 2.56

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

$23.41 RON 111

32.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.80 RON 3.79

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$0.85 RON 4.03

9.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

$8.10 RON 38.34

5.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.58 RON 7.47

21.52%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

$22.8K RON 107.9K

26.78%

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

$25.3K RON 119.5K

-3.58%

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

$156 RON 739

$126 RON 597

23.81%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

$7.14 RON 33.79

22.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$7.25 RON 34.30

32.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$41.55 RON 197

11.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

$10.68 RON 50.5

105.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

$6.19 RON 29.29

49.76%

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

$587 RON 2,775

$155 RON 733

278.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

$3,829 RON 18.1K

154.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

$59.6 RON 282

51.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

$28.51 RON 135

61.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

$85.6 RON 405

14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

$69.2 RON 328

59.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$322 RON 1,524

93.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$260 RON 1,229

103.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$647 RON 3,060

76.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$410 RON 1,938

100.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

$1,007 RON 4,765

354.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$1,056 RON 4,995

218.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

$650 RON 3,075

93.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.05

-5.67%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Satu Mare

$260 27.9% 50.9% $269

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Satu Mare

$195 21% 16.3% $38

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Satu Mare

$140 15.1% 35.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Satu Mare

$141 15.1% 19.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Satu Mare

$109 11.8% 29.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Satu Mare

$54 5.8% 16.8% $11

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Satu Mare

$31 3.3% 22.3% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $322 in Satu Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 94% 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: $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $33.00 in Satu Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $195 per month, with Satu Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

102,411

💱 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

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Satu Mare 130 km

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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 Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Satu Mare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 94% 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: $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $322 in Satu Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Satu Mare runs roughly 33% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $587 in Cluj-Napoca versus $155 in Satu Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $930 in Satu Mare versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Satu Mare but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Satu Mare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Satu Mare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Satu Mare are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Satu Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.