Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Serpukhov

For one person, living is cheaper in Serpukhov: $1,212 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
Learn more

Cluj-Napoca Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Serpukhov
Learn more

Serpukhov Living Index

Jump to prices

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Serpukhov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,212 in Serpukhov.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Serpukhov $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,885 in Serpukhov.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Serpukhov $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,559 in Serpukhov.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Serpukhov $2,559

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 17% more expensive than in Serpukhov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Serpukhov is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$12.30 ₽1,026

1.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$60.5 ₽5,049

-9.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$7.42 ₽619

31.13%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$2.37 ₽198

55.27%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$0.88 ₽73.4

162.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$0.63 ₽52.4

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$0.94 ₽78.4

242.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$1.18 ₽98.6

261.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.12 ₽93.4

45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$0.71 ₽59.3

101.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$1.69 ₽141

7.69%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$0.88 ₽73.6

334.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$14.72 ₽1,228

-37.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$6.71 ₽560

5.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$15.16 ₽1,265

-22.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$2.13 ₽178

-34.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.81 ₽151

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$2.00 ₽167

-5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$4.15 ₽347

-41.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.97 ₽81.2

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.77 ₽64.4

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$1.65 ₽138

-41.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$0.95 ₽79.2

2.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

$3.49 ₽291

77.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

$5.90 ₽492

27.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$1.01 ₽84.0

24.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.24 ₽104

37.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.55 ₽45.71

30.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$2.44 ₽203

-63.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$0.38 ₽31.41

144.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

$6.48 ₽541

31.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$0.83 ₽69.0

131.33%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

$41.7K ₽3.5M

-30.77%

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

$39.4K ₽3.3M

-38.26%

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

$156 RON 739

$188 ₽15.7K

-17.06%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

$7.04 ₽588

24.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$9.72 ₽811

-1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$35.92 ₽2,998

28.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

$26.04 ₽2,173

-15.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

$4.17 ₽348

122.30%

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

$587 RON 2,775

$351 ₽29.3K

66.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

$6,403 ₽534.4K

52.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

$113 ₽9,414

-20.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

$66.9 ₽5,586

-31.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

$149 ₽12.4K

-34.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

$186 ₽15.6K

-40.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$468 ₽39.0K

33.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$318 ₽26.6K

66.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$983 ₽82.1K

16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$493 ₽41.2K

66.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

$2,590 ₽216.2K

76.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$1,573 ₽131.3K

113.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

19.56

-66.00%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Serpukhov: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Serpukhov

$318 26.3% 39.8% $211

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Serpukhov

$244 20.1% 4.6% $11

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Serpukhov

$162 13.4% 25.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Serpukhov

$205 16.9% 17.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Serpukhov

$232 19.1% 49.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Serpukhov

$44 3.7% 31.7% $21

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Serpukhov

$6.5 * 0.5% 83.5% $33

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 $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $468 in Serpukhov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $60.0 in Serpukhov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $244 per month, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇺 Serpukhov

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

124,897

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Serpukhov 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Serpukhov

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 Serpukhov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serpukhov is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,119 in Cluj-Napoca and $1,818 in Serpukhov to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $468 in Serpukhov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $587 in Cluj-Napoca versus $351 in Serpukhov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Serpukhov – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,212 in Serpukhov versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Serpukhov but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Serpukhov the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Serpukhov 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 Serpukhov 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 Serpukhov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.