Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $966 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Targu Jiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $966 in Targu Jiu.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Targu Jiu $966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,502 in Targu Jiu.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Targu Jiu $1,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,038 in Targu Jiu.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Targu Jiu $2,038

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 47% more expensive than in Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Targu Jiu is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.5

$14.60 RON 70.2

-13.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 263

$57.6 RON 277

-4.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 46.11

$7.24 RON 34.80

32.46%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.15

$3.56 RON 17.10

6.18%

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

$2.30 RON 11.07

$1.02 RON 4.93

125.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.68

$2.21 RON 10.64

0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.94

$3.67 RON 17.66

-9.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.17

$4.23 RON 20.32

-0.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.70

$1.67 RON 8.03

-4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.93

$1.28 RON 6.17

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.14

$1.77 RON 8.49

-4.52%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 18.05

$2.75 RON 13.21

36.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.57

$7.41 RON 35.63

22.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.30

$2.91 RON 13.99

145.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 55.1

$6.95 RON 33.40

64.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.66

$0.91 RON 4.38

52.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.60

$1.49 RON 7.17

6.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 9.04

$1.17 RON 5.60

60.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.38

$1.22 RON 5.84

94.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.43

$0.83 RON 3.97

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.74 RON 3.54

21.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.34

$0.61 RON 2.92

47.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.84

$0.50 RON 2.40

102.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.86

$5.21 RON 25.02

23.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.62

$3.00 RON 14.42

147.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.98

$0.82 RON 3.93

52.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.31

$1.07 RON 5.16

61.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 213

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.65 RON 3.12

29.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.62

$0.61 RON 2.93

57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.74

$6.39 RON 30.69

29.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.32

$1.93 RON 9.30

0.52%

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

$28.3K RON 136.1K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

-1.59%

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

$24.7K RON 118.9K

$25.9K RON 124.3K

-4.33%

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

$151 RON 725

$196 RON 943

-23.15%

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

$8.44 RON 40.55

$6.01 RON 28.87

40.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 44.04

$9.32 RON 44.78

-1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 228

$31.49 RON 151

50.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 106

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.95

$8.34 RON 40.08

12.11%

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

$577 RON 2,774

$676 RON 3,247

-14.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.4K

$14.3K RON 68.8K

-34.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 419

$49.38 RON 237

76.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 213

$25.42 RON 122

74.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 475

$51.7 RON 248

91.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 513

$84.2 RON 405

26.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,212

$353 RON 1,698

89.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,575

$233 RON 1,119

130.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,895

$478 RON 2,295

156.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,881

$403 RON 1,937

100.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 22.0K

$2,555 RON 12.3K

78.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,962

$518 RON 2,490

139.43%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Targu Jiu

$233 24.1% 56.5% $303

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Targu Jiu

$154 16% 33% $76

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9% 1.5% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9% 25.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8% 37.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Targu Jiu

$48 5% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4% 93% $49

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 $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $353 in Targu Jiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $58 in Targu Jiu. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $154, with Targu Jiu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

82,504

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Targu Jiu 190 km

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Jiu is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cluj-Napoca is about 2.4 times higher, 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 $353 in Targu Jiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $676 in Targu Jiu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca – a meal for two runs $55 versus $58 in Targu Jiu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Targu Jiu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Targu Jiu wins on affordability, Cluj-Napoca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.