Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Zărnești

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca versus $889 in Zărnești.

Cluj-Napoca $1,413
Zărnești $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,383 in Zărnești.

Cluj-Napoca $2,122
Zărnești $1,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,877 in Zărnești.

Cluj-Napoca $2,831
Zărnești $1,877

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 59% more expensive than in Zărnești, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 4% above, Zărnești is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 RON 59.3

$9.00 RON 42.60

39.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 RON 258

$42.40 RON 201

28.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 RON 46.01

$8.36 RON 39.57

16.39%

Cappuccino

$3.68 RON 17.42

$2.18 RON 10.34

68.81%

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

$2.31 RON 10.92

$1.46 RON 6.90

58.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 10.93

$1.20 RON 5.66

92.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 RON 15.24

$1.90 RON 9.00

69.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 RON 20.14

$2.28 RON 10.79

86.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.69

$1.27 RON 6.02

28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.07 RON 5.06

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$1.44 RON 6.81

26.39%

Eggs

$3.82 RON 18.08

$2.79 RON 13.20

36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 RON 43.34

$7.89 RON 37.33

16.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 RON 33.50

$4.74 RON 22.42

49.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 RON 55.7

$10.40 RON 49.21

13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.93 RON 4.41

50.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.03

$1.33 RON 6.30

27.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$1.27 RON 6.02

48.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.43

$1.28 RON 6.06

89.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.36

$0.78 RON 3.67

17.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.52 RON 2.45

69.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$0.80 RON 3.80

21.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.61

$0.77 RON 3.63

25.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.39

$5.15 RON 24.37

20.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.66

$7.42 RON 35.09

1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.96

$1.07 RON 5.08

17.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.29 RON 6.12

31.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.70 RON 3.32

2.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 RON 147

$21.32 RON 101

45.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.88 RON 4.15

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$0.86 RON 4.05

8.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 RON 40.26

$7.45 RON 35.26

14.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.51 RON 7.16

27.15%

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

$28.9K RON 136.7K

$28.5K RON 134.9K

1.36%

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

$24.4K RON 115.2K

$26.0K RON 122.9K

-6.24%

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

$156 RON 739

$99.0 RON 468

57.82%

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

$8.74 RON 41.34

$9.28 RON 43.89

-5.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 RON 45.46

$8.00 RON 37.86

20.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 RON 219

$37.82 RON 179

22.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 104

$19.41 RON 91.9

13.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 RON 43.87

$6.24 RON 29.55

48.56%

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

$587 RON 2,775

$429 RON 2,031

36.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

$7,733 RON 36.6K

26.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 RON 426

$44.43 RON 210

102.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 RON 218

$27.26 RON 129

69.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 RON 465

$68.9 RON 326

42.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RON 522

$76.8 RON 363

43.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 RON 2,950

$434 RON 2,054

43.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,502

$266 RON 1,258

98.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 RON 5,407

$576 RON 2,727

98.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 RON 3,881

$424 RON 2,008

93.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,578 RON 21.7K

$1,751 RON 8,283

161.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 15.9K

$1,329 RON 6,288

152.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 RON 5,964

$510 RON 2,415

146.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

7.47

-10.98%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5%

Zărnești

$266 29.9% 49.7% $263

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5%

Zărnești

$182 20.4% 22.1% $51

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3%

Zărnești

$148 16.7% 31.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4%

Zărnești

$116 13.1% 33.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11%

Zărnești

$98 11% 37% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6%

Zărnești

$50 5.7% 22.4% $15

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Zărnești

$29 3.3% 25.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Cluj-Napoca and $434 in Zărnești. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 147% 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: $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $42.00 in Zărnești for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $182 per month, with Zărnești cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

24,926

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cluj-Napoca Zărnești 190 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 Zărnești: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zărnești is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 147% 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: $623 in Cluj-Napoca versus $434 in Zărnești. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zărnești runs roughly 45% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $587 in Cluj-Napoca versus $429 in Zărnești. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $889 in Zărnești versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zărnești but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Zărnești the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zărnești is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Zărnești are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zărnești gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.