Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Donegal and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $902 a month against $1,863 in Donegal, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Donegal
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Donegal Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index

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Donegal

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,863

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Donegal and in Alba Iulia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,863 in Donegal versus $902 in Alba Iulia.

Donegal $1,863
Alba Iulia $902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,765 in Donegal versus $1,372 in Alba Iulia.

Donegal $2,765
Alba Iulia $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,667 in Donegal versus $1,841 in Alba Iulia.

Donegal $3,667
Alba Iulia $1,841

Living in Donegal is roughly 106% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Donegal is 38% above, Alba Iulia is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 €17.51

$8.42 RON 39.84

133.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 €74.2

$30.94 RON 146

169.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.67 RON 26.85

1.23%

Cappuccino

$2.82 €2.51

$2.16 RON 10.24

30.56%

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

$1.64 €1.46

$1.76 RON 8.32

-6.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.45 RON 6.85

-24.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 €6.35

$2.01 RON 9.50

255.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 €5.84

$2.13 RON 10.10

208.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.23 RON 5.80

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.09 RON 5.15

66.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.49 RON 7.07

20.13%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$2.67 RON 12.65

28.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 €6.83

$7.53 RON 35.62

1.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.23

$5.82 RON 27.54

117.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 €11.75

$10.61 RON 50.2

24.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$0.96 RON 4.52

131.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.35 RON 6.38

18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.22 RON 5.77

8.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$2.34 RON 11.06

79.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$0.71 RON 3.38

94.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$0.58 RON 2.75

367.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.82 RON 3.89

57.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.64 RON 3.04

204.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.30 €18.06

$5.31 RON 25.13

282.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.04 €15.15

$4.21 RON 19.90

304.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.69

$1.12 RON 5.29

169.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.22 RON 5.75

131.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.66 RON 78.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.84

$0.63 RON 2.98

765.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.68 RON 3.21

111.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.3 €59.8

$4.55 RON 21.51

1378.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.53 RON 7.22

26.14%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

35.63%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$24.3K RON 115.1K

55.35%

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

$163 €145

$123 RON 583

32.11%

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

$20.94 €18.62

$7.40 RON 35.00

182.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.19 €39.30

$9.34 RON 44.20

373.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 €48.73

$28.80 RON 136

90.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.03 RON 147

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$4.98 RON 23.57

120.28%

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

$832 €740

$442 RON 2,090

88.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,191 €1,949

$6,914 RON 32.7K

-68.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 €64.4

$38.88 RON 184

86.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.92 €32.84

$23.97 RON 113

54.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 €68.5

$73.6 RON 348

4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$64.0 RON 303

47.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €985

$293 RON 1,386

278.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 €738

$289 RON 1,367

187.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,459

$621 RON 2,938

164.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 €1,126

$474 RON 2,243

167.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,679 €1,493

$1,602 RON 7,578

4.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,137 €1,011

$1,414 RON 6,688

-19.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,191 €3,728

$904 RON 4,278

363.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

6.97

-48.35%

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

Last update for Donegal: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Donegal

$830 44.5%

Alba Iulia

$289 32% 65.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Donegal

$321 17.3%

Alba Iulia

$184 20.3% 42.9% $138

Eating Out

Donegal

$268 14.4%

Alba Iulia

$137 15.2% 48.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Donegal

$228 12.2%

Alba Iulia

$140 15.5% 38.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Donegal

$126 6.8%

Alba Iulia

$90 10% 28.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Donegal

$77 4.1%

Alba Iulia

$39 4.3% 49.5% $38

Getting Around

Donegal

$13 * 0.7%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 85.8% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,108 in Donegal and $293 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Donegal pays 364% 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: $83.0 in Donegal vs $31.00 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $184 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Donegal

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

2 h ahead of Donegal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,600

63,536

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Donegal Alba Iulia 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Donegal
Alba Iulia

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

Donegal vs Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 106% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 364% higher in Donegal, 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: $1,108 in Donegal versus $293 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Donegal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,863 per month in Donegal versus $902 in Alba Iulia – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $902 in Alba Iulia versus $1,863 in Donegal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Donegal. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Donegal and Alba Iulia 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Donegal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.