Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esch-sur-Alzette and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,406 a month against $2,826 in Esch-sur-Alzette, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Esch-sur-Alzette
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Esch-sur-Alzette Living Index
68

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

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Esch-sur-Alzette

🇱🇺 Luxembourg

$2,826

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,826 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca.

Esch-sur-Alzette $2,826
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,380 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca.

Esch-sur-Alzette $4,380
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,934 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca.

Esch-sur-Alzette $5,934
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Living in Esch-sur-Alzette is roughly 101% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Esch-sur-Alzette 109% above, Cluj-Napoca 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.63

$12.77 RON 60.4

72.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.28

$54.8 RON 259

1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.89 €13.24

$9.60 RON 45.41

55.10%

Cappuccino

$4.66 €4.15

$3.63 RON 17.18

28.37%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$2.31 RON 10.92

5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.33 RON 11.01

6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 €3.65

$3.27 RON 15.47

25.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 €3.19

$4.27 RON 20.21

-15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.53 RON 7.26

16.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 €3.36

$1.51 RON 7.13

149.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.81 RON 8.55

77.90%

Eggs

$4.53 €4.03

$3.86 RON 18.28

17.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.86 €27.45

$9.15 RON 43.28

237.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.52 €13.80

$7.28 RON 34.45

113.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.59 €22.76

$11.73 RON 55.5

118.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.42 RON 6.70

80.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.69 RON 8.00

14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$1.95 RON 9.21

56.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.39 RON 11.30

36.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.94 RON 4.44

239.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.90 RON 4.26

125.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.90 RON 4.25

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.01 RON 4.79

3.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.11 RON 28.89

7.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.06

$7.36 RON 34.84

38.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.29 RON 6.08

209.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.94

$1.77 RON 8.38

150.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 RON 145

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.36 €10.10

$0.89 RON 4.22

1176.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.57 €3.17

$0.92 RON 4.37

288.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.59 €39.67

$8.39 RON 39.71

431.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.90 RON 9.00

-3.68%

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

$28.0K RON 132.5K

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

$24.8K RON 117.2K

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

$264 €235

$153 RON 725

72.19%

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

$31.63 €28.14

$8.59 RON 40.64

268.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.4 €78.6

$9.77 RON 46.24

804.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 €37.49

$46.15 RON 218

-8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.53 RON 107

Cinema Ticket

$15.61 €13.88

$9.32 RON 44.09

67.49%

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

$1,513 €1,346

$587 RON 2,780

157.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,476 RON 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.7 €60.2

$88.5 RON 419

-23.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.70 €34.42

$45.73 RON 216

-15.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 €114

$101 RON 479

27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €135

$108 RON 512

40.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 €1,632

$622 RON 2,941

195.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 €1,219

$524 RON 2,480

161.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,392 €3,018

$1,147 RON 5,429

195.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,898 €2,577

$806 RON 3,816

259.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,360 €6,547

$4,709 RON 22.3K

56.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,154 €5,474

$3,348 RON 15.8K

83.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,673 €3,267

$1,234 RON 5,837

197.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

6.8

-52.06%

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

Last update for Esch-sur-Alzette: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Esch-sur-Alzette

$1.4K 48.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 61.8% $847

Groceries & Markets

Esch-sur-Alzette

$470 16.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 50.2% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esch-sur-Alzette

$384 13.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 55.3% $212

Eating Out

Esch-sur-Alzette

$325 11.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 32.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Esch-sur-Alzette

$174 6.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 11.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Esch-sur-Alzette

$73 2.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 11.7% $8.6

Getting Around

Esch-sur-Alzette

$29 * 1%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 33.4% $9.8

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 $1,835 in Esch-sur-Alzette and $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Esch-sur-Alzette pays 198% 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: $55.0 in Esch-sur-Alzette vs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $470 vs $234, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇺 Esch-sur-Alzette

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h ahead of Esch-sur-Alzette

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,218

324,576

💱 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

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Between locations

Esch-sur-Alzette Cluj-Napoca 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Esch-sur-Alzette
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

Esch-sur-Alzette vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 198% higher in Esch-sur-Alzette, 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: $1,835 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,513 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $55.0 in Esch-sur-Alzette. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca versus $2,826 in Esch-sur-Alzette, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cluj-Napoca but tight or insufficient in Esch-sur-Alzette. The gap between the two cities makes Cluj-Napoca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Esch-sur-Alzette 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 Cluj-Napoca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Esch-sur-Alzette. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.