Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,182 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
68

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

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,182

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Craiova 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 Craiova and in Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Craiova versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca.

Craiova $1,182
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,739 in Craiova versus $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca.

Craiova $1,739
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,297 in Craiova versus $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca.

Craiova $2,297
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Living in Craiova costs roughly 16% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Craiova is 12% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 RON 35.24

$12.77 RON 60.4

-41.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 RON 198

$54.8 RON 259

-23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 RON 33.62

$9.60 RON 45.41

-25.94%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RON 12.54

$3.63 RON 17.18

-27.00%

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

$2.20 RON 10.39

$2.31 RON 10.92

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RON 8.68

$2.33 RON 11.01

-21.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 RON 10.60

$3.27 RON 15.47

-31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 RON 16.65

$4.27 RON 20.21

-17.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 RON 6.05

$1.53 RON 7.26

-16.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$1.51 RON 7.13

-43.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.43

$1.81 RON 8.55

-24.86%

Eggs

$3.27 RON 15.47

$3.86 RON 18.28

-15.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 RON 33.63

$9.15 RON 43.28

-22.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 RON 30.73

$7.28 RON 34.45

-10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 RON 54.4

$11.73 RON 55.5

-1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$1.42 RON 6.70

-33.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.83

$1.69 RON 8.00

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.94

$1.95 RON 9.21

-24.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.51

$2.39 RON 11.30

-24.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$0.94 RON 4.44

-19.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$0.90 RON 4.26

-7.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RON 3.49

$0.90 RON 4.25

-17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.38

$1.01 RON 4.79

-28.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.32 RON 29.92

$6.11 RON 28.89

3.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 29.95

$7.36 RON 34.84

-13.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 RON 5.48

$1.29 RON 6.08

-10.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RON 7.15

$1.77 RON 8.38

-14.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.70 RON 3.29

15.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.73 RON 117

$30.67 RON 145

-19.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 RON 3.06

$0.89 RON 4.22

-26.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$0.92 RON 4.37

-28.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.18

$8.39 RON 39.71

-26.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RON 8.66

$1.90 RON 9.00

-3.68%

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

$28.5K RON 135.1K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

1.93%

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

$26.4K RON 125.0K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

6.64%

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

$211 RON 996

$153 RON 725

37.31%

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

$9.13 RON 43.18

$8.59 RON 40.64

6.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 RON 54.8

$9.77 RON 46.24

18.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.63 RON 211

$46.15 RON 218

-3.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.02 RON 104

$22.53 RON 107

-2.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 RON 35.24

$9.32 RON 44.09

-20.06%

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

$423 RON 2,002

$587 RON 2,780

-27.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,143 RON 38.5K

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-14.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 RON 293

$88.5 RON 419

-30.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 RON 242

$45.73 RON 216

12.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 RON 398

$101 RON 479

-16.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 RON 487

$108 RON 512

-4.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 RON 2,404

$622 RON 2,941

-18.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 RON 1,814

$524 RON 2,480

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 RON 4,225

$1,147 RON 5,429

-22.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 RON 2,822

$806 RON 3,816

-26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,614 RON 12.4K

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-44.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,960 RON 9,272

$3,348 RON 15.8K

-41.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 RON 4,404

$1,234 RON 5,837

-24.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

6.8

0.59%

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

Last update for Craiova: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Craiova

$383 32.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 36.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$231 19.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 25.8% $60

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$193 16.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 21.1% $41

Eating Out

Craiova

$147 12.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 48.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$135 11.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 14.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$60 5%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 8.9% $5.3

Getting Around

Craiova

$32 2.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 22% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Craiova and $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 33% 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: $42.00 in Craiova vs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $234 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

Same time as Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

324,576

💱 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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Craiova Cluj-Napoca 270 km

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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

Craiova vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Cluj-Napoca. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $508 in Craiova versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Craiova runs roughly 24% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $423 in Craiova versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,182 in Craiova versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Craiova but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Craiova the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Craiova 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, Craiova and Cluj-Napoca 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 Craiova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.