Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Sighisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighisoara: $935 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cluj-Napoca
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,413
/mo nomad
Sighisoara
🇷🇴 Romania
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $935 in Sighisoara.

  • Cluj-Napoca $1,413
  • Sighisoara $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,507 in Sighisoara.

  • Cluj-Napoca $2,122
  • Sighisoara $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,079 in Sighisoara.

  • Cluj-Napoca $2,831
  • Sighisoara $2,079

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 51% more expensive than in Sighisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.53 RON 59.3
$10.56 RON 49.97
18.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.5 RON 258
$37.09 RON 176
46.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.73 RON 46.01
$8.36 RON 39.54
16.39%
Cappuccino
$3.68 RON 17.42
$2.14 RON 10.14
71.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 RON 10.92
$2.09 RON 9.87
10.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 RON 10.93
$2.32 RON 10.97
-0.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.22 RON 15.24
$2.17 RON 10.27
48.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 RON 20.14
$2.79 RON 13.22
52.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 RON 7.69
$1.50 RON 7.08
8.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 RON 6.78
$1.18 RON 5.57
21.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 RON 8.63
$1.43 RON 6.75
27.27%
Eggs
$3.82 RON 18.08
$3.51 RON 16.59
8.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.16 RON 43.34
$7.33 RON 34.69
24.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.08 RON 33.50
$7.32 RON 34.66
-3.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.76 RON 55.7
$7.43 RON 35.16
58.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.40 RON 6.64
$1.03 RON 4.86
35.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 RON 8.03
$1.65 RON 7.80
3.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 RON 8.96
$1.83 RON 8.66
3.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 RON 11.43
$2.43 RON 11.50
-0.41%
Potato (1kg)
$0.92 RON 4.36
$0.73 RON 3.45
26.03%
Onion (1kg)
$0.88 RON 4.15
$0.95 RON 4.50
-7.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 RON 4.59
$1.00 RON 4.71
-3.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 RON 4.61
$1.01 RON 4.79
-3.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.21 RON 29.39
$5.16 RON 24.43
20.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.54 RON 35.66
$7.50 RON 35.47
0.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 RON 5.96
$1.27 RON 6.00
-0.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 RON 8.05
$1.68 RON 7.95
1.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 RON 3.42
$0.65 RON 3.07
10.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.02 RON 147
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.88 RON 4.17
$0.81 RON 3.83
8.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 RON 4.40
$0.99 RON 4.66
-6.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.51 RON 40.26
$8.62 RON 40.77
-1.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.92 RON 9.08
$1.73 RON 8.17
10.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K RON 136.7K
$28.2K RON 133.4K
2.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K RON 115.2K
$24.3K RON 115.0K
0.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 RON 739
$59.0 RON 279
164.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.74 RON 41.34
$8.38 RON 39.64
4.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.61 RON 45.46
$8.35 RON 39.53
15.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.29 RON 219
$51.7 RON 245
-10.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.98 RON 104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.27 RON 43.87
$9.69 RON 45.85
-4.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$587 RON 2,775
$585 RON 2,767
0.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,749 RON 46.1K
$9,663 RON 45.7K
0.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.1 RON 426
$87.8 RON 415
2.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.13 RON 218
$47.36 RON 224
-2.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 RON 465
$98.9 RON 468
-0.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 RON 522
$108 RON 511
2.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$623 RON 2,950
$319 RON 1,510
95.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$529 RON 2,502
$249 RON 1,179
112.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,143 RON 5,407
$535 RON 2,530
113.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$820 RON 3,881
$489 RON 2,316
67.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,578 RON 21.7K
$1,554 RON 7,355
194.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,358 RON 15.9K
$1,059 RON 5,010
217.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cluj-Napoca
Sighisoara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,261 RON 5,964
$595 RON 2,817
111.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.65
6.65
-

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sighisoara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cluj-Napoca
$529
Sighisoara
$249 52.9% $280
Groceries & Markets
Cluj-Napoca
$233
Sighisoara
$207 11.3% $26
Eating Out
Cluj-Napoca
$217
Sighisoara
$169 21.9% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cluj-Napoca
$175
Sighisoara
$76 56.6% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Cluj-Napoca
$155
Sighisoara
$154 0.8% $1.2
Sport & Entertainment
Cluj-Napoca
$65
Sighisoara
$71 9.7% $6.3
Getting Around
Cluj-Napoca
$39
Sighisoara
$8.3 * 78.9% $31

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 $319 in Sighisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 112% 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 $37.00 in Sighisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $207 per month, with Sighisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca
🇷🇴 Sighisoara
🕒 Local time
03:07 3:07 AM
03:07 3:07 AM
Same time as Cluj-Napoca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
324,576
32,570
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cluj-Napoca Sighisoara 110 km
From you
  • Cluj-Napoca
  • Sighisoara

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 Sighisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sighisoara cheaper than Cluj-Napoca?
Sighisoara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cluj-Napoca or Sighisoara?
Average pay runs 112% 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.
What is the rent difference between Cluj-Napoca and Sighisoara?
Rent for a central apartment: $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $319 in Sighisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $587 in Cluj-Napoca versus $585 in Sighisoara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Cluj-Napoca or in Sighisoara?
Dining out is cheaper in Sighisoara – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Cluj-Napoca or in Sighisoara?
At $935 in Sighisoara versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sighisoara but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Sighisoara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cluj-Napoca or Sighisoara more family-friendly?
For families, Sighisoara 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.
Which city is safer, Cluj-Napoca or Sighisoara?
Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Sighisoara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Sighisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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