Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Cluj-Napoca $1,423
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Cluj-Napoca $2,126
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Cluj-Napoca $2,830
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 12% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 RON 60.1

$11.63 ₾30.07

8.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 RON 262

$37.83 ₾97.8

44.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 RON 45.85

$9.66 ₾24.98

-0.72%

Cappuccino

$3.78 RON 18.05

$3.57 ₾9.24

5.88%

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

$2.30 RON 11.01

$1.08 ₾2.78

112.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RON 10.62

$0.56 ₾1.45

296.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 RON 15.85

$2.62 ₾6.78

26.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 RON 20.06

$3.04 ₾7.85

38.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.66

$2.17 ₾5.60

-26.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.89

$0.80 ₾2.06

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.09

$1.74 ₾4.51

-2.87%

Eggs

$3.76 RON 17.95

$2.83 ₾7.31

32.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 RON 43.33

$9.31 ₾24.07

-2.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 RON 34.11

$6.52 ₾16.85

9.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 RON 54.7

$12.95 ₾33.50

-11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.62

$1.68 ₾4.33

-17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.55

$1.85 ₾4.79

-14.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 RON 8.99

$1.97 ₾5.10

-4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.32

$2.42 ₾6.25

-2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.40

$0.82 ₾2.11

12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.29

$0.74 ₾1.91

21.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$1.34 ₾3.47

-32.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.81

$0.77 ₾2.00

31.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.68

$3.57 ₾9.24

79.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 RON 35.42

$7.67 ₾19.83

-3.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 5.95

$1.70 ₾4.39

-26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.27

$2.40 ₾6.21

-27.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.40 ₾1.05

90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 211

$15.23 ₾39.38

190.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.14 ₾2.95

-26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.78 ₾2.02

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 RON 39.51

$11.83 ₾30.58

-30.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.26

$1.45 ₾3.75

33.79%

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

$28.3K RON 135.4K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

15.26%

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

$24.7K RON 118.2K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

10.76%

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

$151 RON 721

$88.8 ₾230

69.89%

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

$8.44 RON 40.32

$13.12 ₾33.93

-35.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 RON 43.79

$19.67 ₾50.9

-53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.36 RON 226

$64.1 ₾166

-26.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 105

$19.04 ₾49.24

15.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 RON 44.70

$7.12 ₾18.42

31.32%

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

$577 RON 2,758

$375 ₾971

53.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,450 RON 45.2K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-9.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 RON 416

$104 ₾268

-15.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.26 RON 211

$39.26 ₾102

12.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 RON 472

$117 ₾303

-15.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 510

$122 ₾315

-12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,193

$695 ₾1,798

-3.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,560

$451 ₾1,167

18.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,861

$1,355 ₾3,504

-9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,859

$906 ₾2,343

-10.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,568 RON 21.8K

$2,295 ₾5,934

99.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 RON 16.0K

$1,345 ₾3,478

148.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 RON 5,928

$664 ₾1,718

86.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

12.62

-47.31%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 15.8% $85

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 1.7% $3.9

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 12.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 27.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 13.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 18.5% $12

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 58.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Cluj-Napoca and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Cluj-Napoca vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $234, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

2 h ahead of Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Tbilisi 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in transport and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% 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 $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tbilisi delivers better value at $1,269 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tbilisi hard to pass up.

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

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