Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Targoviste

For one person, living is cheaper in Targoviste: $958 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Targoviste
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Targoviste Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Targoviste

🇷🇴 Romania

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $958 in Targoviste.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Targoviste $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,376 in Targoviste.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Targoviste $1,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,793 in Targoviste.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Targoviste $1,793

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 48% more expensive than in Targoviste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Targoviste is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.2

$7.17 RON 34.29

75.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 262

$25.39 RON 121

115.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 45.90

$6.37 RON 30.50

50.55%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.07

$2.09 RON 9.98

80.86%

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

$2.30 RON 11.02

$1.35 RON 6.45

70.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.63

$1.30 RON 6.23

70.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.87

$2.06 RON 9.86

61.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.08

$2.71 RON 12.95

54.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.67

$1.32 RON 6.32

21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$0.87 RON 4.17

65.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.10

$1.36 RON 6.51

24.26%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 17.97

$2.54 RON 12.17

48.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.38

$3.21 RON 15.38

182.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.15

$6.34 RON 30.33

12.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.8

$11.20 RON 53.6

2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.63

$1.03 RON 4.95

34.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.56

$1.51 RON 7.22

4.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 9.00

$1.47 RON 7.04

27.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.33

$1.83 RON 8.76

29.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.41

$0.83 RON 3.97

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.92 RON 4.39

-2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.75 RON 3.60

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.81

$0.76 RON 3.61

32.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.72

$5.86 RON 28.03

9.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.46

$5.43 RON 25.98

36.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.96

$1.15 RON 5.50

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.28

$1.47 RON 7.06

17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.44 RON 2.10

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 212

$21.70 RON 104

103.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.00

$0.77 RON 3.69

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.61 RON 2.91

57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.56

$6.34 RON 30.33

30.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.27

$1.60 RON 7.66

21.25%

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

$28.3K RON 135.5K

$28.9K RON 138.5K

-2.11%

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

$24.7K RON 118.4K

$25.3K RON 121.1K

-2.26%

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

$151 RON 722

$218 RON 1,042

-30.73%

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

$8.44 RON 40.37

$7.21 RON 34.51

17.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.84

$8.23 RON 39.37

11.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 227

$21.14 RON 101

124.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 105

$19.95 RON 95.5

10.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.75

$3.19 RON 15.27

193.10%

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

$577 RON 2,761

$312 RON 1,491

85.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.2K

$8,239 RON 39.4K

14.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 417

$63.4 RON 303

37.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 212

$31.01 RON 148

42.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 473

$53.7 RON 257

84.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 511

$74.4 RON 356

43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,197

$355 RON 1,698

88.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,563

$265 RON 1,267

102.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,868

$453 RON 2,166

170.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,863

$401 RON 1,918

101.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.9K

$1,877 RON 8,980

143.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.0K

$1,353 RON 6,473

146.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,935

$867 RON 4,147

43.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.84

-2.78%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Targoviste: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Targoviste

$265 27.6% 50.6% $271

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Targoviste

$178 18.5% 22.7% $52

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Targoviste

$128 13.3% 41.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Targoviste

$233 24.3% 38.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Targoviste

$100 10.4% 34% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Targoviste

$28 2.9% 58.3% $39

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Targoviste

$27 2.9% 48.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $355 in Targoviste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 43% 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 $25 in Targoviste for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $178 per month, with Targoviste cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Targoviste

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

79,610

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Targoviste 250 km

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Cluj-Napoca
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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 Targoviste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targoviste is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $355 in Targoviste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Targoviste 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 $312 in Targoviste. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $958 in Targoviste versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Targoviste but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Targoviste the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Targoviste are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Targoviste gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.