Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Sfantu Gheorghe

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
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Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Sfantu Gheorghe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Sfantu Gheorghe $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,297 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,781 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 74% more expensive than in Sfantu Gheorghe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Sfantu Gheorghe is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$8.56 RON 40.51

46.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$41.50 RON 196

31.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$7.21 RON 34.10

34.95%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$2.54 RON 12.04

44.88%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.23 RON 5.81

87.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$1.07 RON 5.06

115.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$2.48 RON 11.74

29.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$2.16 RON 10.20

97.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.39 RON 6.55

17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.13 RON 5.36

26.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$1.40 RON 6.64

30.00%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$3.28 RON 15.52

16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$7.81 RON 36.97

17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$4.61 RON 21.83

53.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$7.72 RON 36.51

52.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.08 RON 5.11

29.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.51 RON 7.14

12.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$1.17 RON 5.52

61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$2.52 RON 11.92

-3.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.69 RON 3.27

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.60 RON 2.84

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$1.03 RON 4.86

-5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$0.81 RON 3.81

19.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

$4.90 RON 23.17

26.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

$7.42 RON 35.10

1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$0.96 RON 4.56

31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.07 RON 5.05

58.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.87 RON 4.10

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

$15.61 RON 73.9

98.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.00 RON 4.72

-12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$0.88 RON 4.17

5.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

$8.38 RON 39.63

1.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.62 RON 7.68

18.52%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

$28.9K RON 136.9K

-0.10%

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

-2.16%

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

$156 RON 739

$113 RON 536

37.80%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

$9.41 RON 44.53

-7.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$12.23 RON 57.9

-21.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$40.71 RON 193

13.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

$20.72 RON 98.0

6.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

$3.13 RON 14.80

196.17%

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

$587 RON 2,775

$444 RON 2,102

32.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

$6,646 RON 31.4K

46.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

$25.88 RON 122

248.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

$13.62 RON 64.4

238.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

$39.45 RON 187

148.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

$63.3 RON 299

74.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$294 RON 1,389

112.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$212 RON 1,003

149.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$524 RON 2,479

118.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$401 RON 1,897

104.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

$1,843 RON 8,718

148.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$1,362 RON 6,445

146.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

$691 RON 3,271

82.33%

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: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$212 26.1% 59.9% $317

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$184 22.6% 21% $49

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$147 18% 32.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$135 16.6% 22.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$64 7.9% 58.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8% 27.5% $18

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3% 37.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 82% 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 $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $184 per month, with Sfantu Gheorghe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

56,006

💱 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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Cluj-Napoca Sfantu Gheorghe 200 km

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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 Sfantu Gheorghe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sfantu Gheorghe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 82% 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 $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sfantu Gheorghe runs roughly 99% 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 $444 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sfantu Gheorghe but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Sfantu Gheorghe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.