Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Slatina

For one person, living is cheaper in Slatina: $799 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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 Slatina
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Slatina Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Slatina

🇷🇴 Romania

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $799 in Slatina.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Slatina $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,251 in Slatina.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Slatina $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,704 in Slatina.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Slatina $1,704

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 78% more expensive than in Slatina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Slatina is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.2

$11.16 RON 53.4

12.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 262

$31.03 RON 148

76.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 45.90

$7.51 RON 35.91

27.70%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.07

$2.60 RON 12.44

45.38%

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

$2.30 RON 11.02

$2.09 RON 10.02

10.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.63

$1.72 RON 8.22

29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.87

$1.66 RON 7.96

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.08

$2.13 RON 10.18

97.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.67

$1.44 RON 6.88

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$0.86 RON 4.13

67.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.10

$1.71 RON 8.18

-1.17%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 17.97

$2.60 RON 12.44

44.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.38

$8.70 RON 41.60

4.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.15

$3.91 RON 18.70

82.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.8

$5.99 RON 28.67

91.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.63

$0.80 RON 3.84

73.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.56

$1.43 RON 6.86

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 9.00

$1.60 RON 7.66

17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.33

$1.17 RON 5.60

102.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.41

$0.83 RON 3.96

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.82 RON 3.94

9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.91 RON 4.37

-1.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.81

$0.66 RON 3.16

53.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.72

$5.18 RON 24.77

23.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.46

$3.22 RON 15.41

130.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.96

$1.19 RON 5.71

5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.28

$1.80 RON 8.62

-3.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.75 RON 3.59

1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 212

$21.64 RON 104

104.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.00

$0.68 RON 3.26

23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.62 RON 2.97

54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.56

$6.60 RON 31.56

25.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.27

$1.38 RON 6.60

40.58%

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

$28.3K RON 135.5K

$29.0K RON 138.6K

-2.21%

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

$24.7K RON 118.4K

$24.9K RON 119.2K

-0.69%

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

$151 RON 722

$106 RON 507

42.39%

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

$8.44 RON 40.37

$1.67 RON 7.98

405.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.84

$9.41 RON 45.01

-2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 227

$37.64 RON 180

25.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 105

$20.63 RON 98.7

6.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.75

$9.38 RON 44.90

-0.32%

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

$577 RON 2,761

$441 RON 2,112

30.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.2K

$6,983 RON 33.4K

35.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 417

$51.4 RON 246

69.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 212

$31.52 RON 151

40.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 473

$67.8 RON 324

45.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 511

$72.2 RON 346

47.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,197

$213 RON 1,017

214.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,563

$165 RON 792

223.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,868

$353 RON 1,688

247.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,863

$296 RON 1,415

172.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.9K

$1,890 RON 9,042

141.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.0K

$1,321 RON 6,319

153.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,935

$859 RON 4,111

44.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.07

-5.94%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Slatina: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Slatina

$165 20.7% 69.1% $370

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Slatina

$160 20.1% 30.3% $70

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Slatina

$171 21.4% 21.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Slatina

$117 14.7% 30.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Slatina

$100 12.6% 33.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Slatina

$56 7.1% 14.6% $9.7

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Slatina

$28 3.6% 46.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $213 in Slatina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 44% 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: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $31 in Slatina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $160 per month, with Slatina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Slatina

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

70,293

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Slatina 270 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Slatina

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 Slatina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Slatina is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $668 in Cluj-Napoca versus $213 in Slatina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Slatina runs roughly 51% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $441 in Slatina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Slatina are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Slatina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.