Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibiu: $1,112 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
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Sibiu Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,112 in Sibiu.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Sibiu $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,654 in Sibiu.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Sibiu $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,197 in Sibiu.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Sibiu $2,197

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 27% more expensive than in Sibiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Sibiu is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$8.50 RON 40.21

47.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$42.33 RON 200

28.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$7.48 RON 35.37

30.08%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$3.27 RON 15.48

12.54%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$2.01 RON 9.50

14.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$1.76 RON 8.33

31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$3.09 RON 14.60

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$3.87 RON 18.31

10.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.43 RON 6.78

13.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.14 RON 5.40

25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$1.36 RON 6.43

33.82%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$3.47 RON 16.41

10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$7.95 RON 37.60

15.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$5.86 RON 27.73

20.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$8.04 RON 38.05

46.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.15 RON 5.44

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.57 RON 7.43

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$1.44 RON 6.80

31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$2.54 RON 12.02

-4.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.66 RON 3.13

39.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.60 RON 2.84

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$0.99 RON 4.68

-2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$0.85 RON 4.03

14.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

$5.90 RON 27.92

5.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

$7.46 RON 35.28

1.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$0.92 RON 4.36

36.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.40 RON 6.61

21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.71 RON 3.34

1.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

$17.14 RON 81.1

80.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.91 RON 4.28

-3.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$0.80 RON 3.79

16.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

$8.24 RON 39.00

3.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.94 RON 9.19

-1.03%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

0.25%

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

$25.6K RON 121.1K

-4.88%

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

$156 RON 739

$117 RON 551

33.99%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

$9.07 RON 42.90

-3.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$12.40 RON 58.7

-22.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$35.35 RON 167

30.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

$14.48 RON 68.5

51.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

$6.77 RON 32.04

36.93%

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

$587 RON 2,775

$449 RON 2,123

30.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

$6,702 RON 31.7K

45.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

$74.7 RON 353

20.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

$31.65 RON 150

45.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

$87.3 RON 413

12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

$88.0 RON 416

25.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$450 RON 2,131

38.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$410 RON 1,938

29.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$837 RON 3,960

36.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$606 RON 2,867

35.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

$2,501 RON 11.8K

83.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$2,022 RON 9,566

66.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

$1,111 RON 5,257

13.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.02

-5.27%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sibiu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Sibiu

$410 36.8% 22.5% $119

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Sibiu

$196 17.6% 16.1% $37

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Sibiu

$168 15.1% 22.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Sibiu

$138 12.4% 20.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Sibiu

$127 11.4% 18.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Sibiu

$49 4.4% 24.6% $16

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Sibiu

$25 2.2% 36.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $450 in Sibiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 13% 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 $42.00 in Sibiu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $196 per month, with Sibiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

147,245

💱 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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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 Sibiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibiu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $450 in Sibiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sibiu runs roughly 81% 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 $449 in Sibiu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,112 in Sibiu versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibiu but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Sibiu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sibiu 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 Sibiu 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 Sibiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.