Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colton, CA and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,413 a month against $3,976 in Colton, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

191

Cost of Living Index in Colton, CA
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Colton, CA Living Index
68

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

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Colton, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,976

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colton, CA and in Cluj-Napoca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Colton, CA and in Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,976 in Colton, CA versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca.

Colton, CA $3,976
Cluj-Napoca $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,426 in Colton, CA versus $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca.

Colton, CA $5,426
Cluj-Napoca $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,875 in Colton, CA versus $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca.

Colton, CA $6,875
Cluj-Napoca $2,831

Living in Colton, CA is roughly 181% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Colton, CA 193% above, Cluj-Napoca 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.14 $25.14

$12.53 RON 59.8

100.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 $80.5

$54.5 RON 260

47.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$9.73 RON 46.43

54.57%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$3.68 RON 17.58

63.59%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.31 RON 11.02

31.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.31 RON 11.02

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.22 RON 15.38

144.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.26 RON 20.33

130.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.63 RON 7.76

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.43 RON 6.85

246.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.82 RON 8.71

147.25%

Eggs

$5.51 $5.51

$3.82 RON 18.24

44.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 $11.40

$9.16 RON 43.73

24.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$7.08 RON 33.80

128.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.97 $19.97

$11.76 RON 56.2

69.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.40 RON 6.70

272.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.70 RON 8.10

34.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.89 RON 9.04

159.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.42 RON 11.54

127.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.92 RON 4.40

266.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.88 RON 4.19

217.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.97 RON 4.63

109.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.97 RON 4.65

151.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.91 $11.91

$6.21 RON 29.65

91.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$7.54 RON 35.98

99.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.26 RON 6.01

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.70 RON 8.12

114.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.16 $7.16

$0.72 RON 3.45

894.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.5 $80.5

$31.02 RON 148

159.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 $3.16

$0.88 RON 4.20

259.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.93 RON 4.43

93.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.60 $32.60

$8.51 RON 40.62

283.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.92 RON 9.16

-23.96%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$28.9K RON 138.0K

5.25%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.4K RON 116.3K

11.31%

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

$266 $266

$156 RON 746

70.25%

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

$76.7 $76.7

$8.74 RON 41.72

777.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 $79.9

$9.61 RON 45.87

731.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.47 $35.47

$46.29 RON 221

-23.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 RON 105

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 $18.09

$9.27 RON 44.27

95.15%

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

$1,203 $1,203

$587 RON 2,800

105.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K $32.4K

$9,749 RON 46.5K

232.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 $63.1

$90.1 RON 430

-29.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.16 $48.16

$46.13 RON 220

4.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$98.2 RON 469

17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$110 RON 527

9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 $1,896

$623 RON 2,977

204.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,336 $2,336

$529 RON 2,525

341.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,074 $3,074

$1,143 RON 5,456

169.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 $3,339

$820 RON 3,916

307.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,778 $9,778

$4,578 RON 21.9K

113.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 RON 16.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,283 $8,283

$1,261 RON 6,019

557.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

6.65

-5.11%

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

Last update for Colton, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colton, CA

$2.3K 58.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5% 77.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Colton, CA

$469 11.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5% 50.3% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colton, CA

$422 10.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4% 58.7% $248

Eating Out

Colton, CA

$399 10%

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3% 45.7% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Colton, CA

$157 3.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 0.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Colton, CA

$121 3.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 67.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Colton, CA

$72 1.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 9.5% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,896 in Colton, CA and $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colton, CA pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Colton, CA vs $54 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $469 vs $233 per month, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Colton, CA

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

23:34 11:34 PM

9 h ahead of Colton, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,427

324,576

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Colton, CA Cluj-Napoca 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Colton, CA
Cluj-Napoca

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

Colton, CA vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 181% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Colton, CA is about 6.6 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: $1,896 in Colton, CA versus $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cluj-Napoca runs roughly 61% less than in Colton, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,203 in Colton, CA versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Expats usually find Cluj-Napoca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Colton, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.