Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,196 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,196 in Timisoara.

Cluj-Napoca $1,424
Timisoara $1,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,774 in Timisoara.

Cluj-Napoca $2,141
Timisoara $1,774

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,351 in Timisoara.

Cluj-Napoca $2,858
Timisoara $2,351

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 19% more expensive than in Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 5% above, Timisoara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 RON 58.5

$10.33 RON 49.39

18.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 RON 264

$46.09 RON 220

19.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 RON 44.88

$8.41 RON 40.20

11.65%

Cappuccino

$3.79 RON 18.12

$2.93 RON 14.01

29.35%

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

$2.40 RON 11.48

$2.17 RON 10.39

10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.13

$1.71 RON 8.16

36.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.29

$3.00 RON 14.34

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.65

$4.23 RON 20.23

-2.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.52

$1.41 RON 6.74

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 RON 6.73

$1.25 RON 5.96

12.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.61

$1.40 RON 6.69

28.57%

Eggs

$3.70 RON 17.67

$2.93 RON 13.99

26.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 RON 44.13

$8.76 RON 41.89

5.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 RON 34.22

$6.04 RON 28.88

18.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 RON 56.5

$10.96 RON 52.4

7.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.56

$1.18 RON 5.62

16.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.64

$1.53 RON 7.33

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RON 8.93

$1.48 RON 7.07

26.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 RON 11.04

$2.27 RON 10.87

1.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.38

$0.74 RON 3.56

24.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.19

$1.00 RON 4.77

-12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.68 RON 3.25

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.58

$0.77 RON 3.67

24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 RON 30.28

$6.39 RON 30.54

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.84

$7.22 RON 34.49

3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.82

$1.14 RON 5.45

7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.36

$1.72 RON 8.21

1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$1.07 RON 5.10

-34.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.90 RON 210

$33.97 RON 162

29.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.87 RON 4.15

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.92

$0.81 RON 3.86

1.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 RON 39.45

$8.63 RON 41.23

-4.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 RON 9.47

$1.93 RON 9.21

2.59%

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

$28.3K RON 135.2K

$28.9K RON 138.4K

-2.30%

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

$24.6K RON 117.6K

$24.8K RON 118.6K

-0.87%

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

$152 RON 726

$169 RON 809

-10.36%

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

$8.05 RON 38.49

$6.44 RON 30.81

25.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 RON 44.78

$8.53 RON 40.75

9.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 RON 234

$40.38 RON 193

21.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 RON 107

$16.17 RON 77.3

37.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.32 RON 44.54

$7.59 RON 36.27

22.79%

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

$577 RON 2,760

$590 RON 2,818

-2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K RON 58.8K

$8,457 RON 40.4K

45.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 RON 417

$72.2 RON 345

20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 RON 209

$39.04 RON 187

11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 RON 477

$80.0 RON 382

24.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 512

$89.5 RON 428

19.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 RON 3,165

$576 RON 2,753

14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,575

$399 RON 1,908

34.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 RON 5,959

$825 RON 3,945

51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,997

$591 RON 2,824

41.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 RON 22.0K

$2,651 RON 12.7K

73.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,264 RON 15.6K

$1,911 RON 9,136

70.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 RON 6,183

$1,212 RON 5,791

6.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.88

-3.34%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8%

Timisoara

$399 33.4% 25.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2%

Timisoara

$205 17.2% 11% $25

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1%

Timisoara

$182 15.2% 15.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9%

Timisoara

$184 15.4% 8.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7%

Timisoara

$126 10.6% 16.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7%

Timisoara

$56 4.7% 17.8% $12

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6%

Timisoara

$43 3.6% 16.4% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Cluj-Napoca and $576 in Timisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 7% 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 $46 in Timisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $205 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

319,279

💱 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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Cluj-Napoca
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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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $662 in Cluj-Napoca versus $576 in Timisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Timisoara runs roughly 23% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $577 in Cluj-Napoca versus $590 in Timisoara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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

Expats usually find Timisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.