Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elbasan and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $887 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Elbasan
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Elbasan Living Index
68

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

Jump to prices

Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$887

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Elbasan versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca.

Elbasan $887
Cluj-Napoca $1,424

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Elbasan versus $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca.

Elbasan $1,399
Cluj-Napoca $2,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,912 in Elbasan versus $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca.

Elbasan $1,912
Cluj-Napoca $2,858

Living in Elbasan costs roughly 38% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elbasan is 34% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 ALL 802

$12.23 RON 58.2

-18.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.83 ALL 2,967

$55.3 RON 263

-33.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.76 ALL 544

$9.39 RON 44.66

-28.01%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ALL 138

$3.79 RON 18.03

-54.62%

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

$1.40 ALL 113

$2.40 RON 11.43

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ALL 52.7

$2.33 RON 11.07

-72.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ALL 172

$3.20 RON 15.21

-33.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ALL 220

$4.11 RON 19.56

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ALL 153

$1.57 RON 7.48

21.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ALL 75.4

$1.41 RON 6.70

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ALL 127

$1.80 RON 8.57

-12.78%

Eggs

$2.60 ALL 210

$3.70 RON 17.59

-29.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 ALL 833

$9.23 RON 43.92

11.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 ALL 476

$7.16 RON 34.05

-17.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 ALL 910

$11.81 RON 56.2

-4.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 ALL 96.8

$1.37 RON 6.53

-12.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ALL 182

$1.60 RON 7.60

40.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ALL 112

$1.87 RON 8.89

-25.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ALL 91.6

$2.31 RON 10.98

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ALL 80.2

$0.92 RON 4.36

8.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ALL 83.8

$0.88 RON 4.17

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ALL 66.6

$0.96 RON 4.58

-13.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ALL 53.5

$0.96 RON 4.55

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ALL 350

$6.33 RON 30.13

-31.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 ALL 492

$7.50 RON 35.66

-18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ALL 82.3

$1.22 RON 5.79

-16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ALL 145

$1.75 RON 8.32

2.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ALL 38.22

$0.70 RON 3.34

-32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.64 ALL 1,583

$43.90 RON 209

-55.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ALL 290

$0.81 RON 3.86

344.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 ALL 117

$0.82 RON 3.90

76.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.57 ALL 1,174

$8.25 RON 39.26

76.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 ALL 172

$1.98 RON 9.43

8.08%

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

$29.2K ALL 2.4M

$28.3K RON 134.5K

3.28%

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

$29.3K ALL 2.4M

$24.6K RON 117.0K

19.00%

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

$61.7 ALL 4,971

$152 RON 722

-59.36%

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

$15.34 ALL 1,236

$8.05 RON 38.30

90.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ALL 973

$9.37 RON 44.57

28.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ALL 4,671

$48.94 RON 233

18.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 ALL 1,372

$22.31 RON 106

-23.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 ALL 355

$9.32 RON 44.32

-52.68%

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

$142 ALL 11.4K

$577 RON 2,747

-75.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,886 ALL 151.9K

$12.3K RON 58.5K

-84.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ALL 5,857

$87.3 RON 415

-16.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.03 ALL 3,548

$43.70 RON 208

0.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 ALL 7,523

$99.8 RON 475

-6.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 ALL 7,768

$107 RON 510

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ALL 23.9K

$662 RON 3,150

-55.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 ALL 16.8K

$539 RON 2,562

-61.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ALL 35.1K

$1,247 RON 5,930

-65.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ALL 25.5K

$836 RON 3,978

-62.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,377 ALL 111.0K

$4,596 RON 21.9K

-70.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$870 ALL 70.1K

$3,264 RON 15.5K

-73.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ALL 50.4K

$1,293 RON 6,153

-51.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

6.65

-8.27%

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

Last update for Elbasan: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elbasan

$208 23.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8% 158% $330

Groceries & Markets

Elbasan

$208 23.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2% 11.1% $23

Eating Out

Elbasan

$145 16.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1% 48.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Elbasan

$138 15.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 10.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elbasan

$89 10.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9% 89.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Elbasan

$67 7.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7% 1.2% $0.8

Getting Around

Elbasan

$32 3.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6% 59.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Elbasan and $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Elbasan vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $231 per month, with Elbasan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

1 h ahead of Elbasan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,703

324,576

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.57 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.45 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elbasan Cluj-Napoca 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elbasan
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

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

Elbasan is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Elbasan. 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: $297 in Elbasan versus $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Elbasan runs roughly 55% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $142 in Elbasan versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $887 in Elbasan versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elbasan but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Elbasan 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.

Expats usually find Elbasan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.