Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,424 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
Learn more

Cluj-Napoca Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca.

Istanbul $1,519
Cluj-Napoca $1,424

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca.

Istanbul $2,365
Cluj-Napoca $2,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca.

Istanbul $3,212
Cluj-Napoca $2,858

Living in Istanbul is roughly 7% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Cluj-Napoca 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.23 RON 58.1

-3.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$55.3 RON 263

-0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.39 RON 44.61

-1.38%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.79 RON 18.01

13.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.40 RON 11.41

-26.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.33 RON 11.06

-75.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.20 RON 15.20

46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.11 RON 19.54

73.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.57 RON 7.47

-20.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.41 RON 6.69

-37.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.80 RON 8.56

22.22%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.70 RON 17.57

-34.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.23 RON 43.87

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.16 RON 34.02

-25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.81 RON 56.1

78.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.37 RON 6.52

35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.60 RON 7.59

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.87 RON 8.88

-34.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.31 RON 10.97

-22.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.92 RON 4.35

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.88 RON 4.16

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.96 RON 4.57

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.96 RON 4.55

-39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.33 RON 30.10

-63.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.50 RON 35.62

73.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.22 RON 5.79

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.75 RON 8.31

89.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.70 RON 3.34

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$43.90 RON 209

50.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.81 RON 3.86

58.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.82 RON 3.90

3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.25 RON 39.21

34.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.98 RON 9.42

-25.25%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.3K RON 134.4K

71.98%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.6K RON 116.9K

70.63%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$152 RON 721

-38.92%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.05 RON 38.26

39.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.37 RON 44.52

69.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$48.94 RON 233

52.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.31 RON 106

2.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.32 RON 44.27

-13.63%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$577 RON 2,744

64.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$12.3K RON 58.4K

200.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$87.3 RON 415

-38.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$43.70 RON 208

-5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$99.8 RON 474

1.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$107 RON 509

-14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$662 RON 3,147

53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$539 RON 2,559

15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,247 RON 5,923

60.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$836 RON 3,973

34.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$4,596 RON 21.8K

-34.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$3,264 RON 15.5K

-46.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,293 RON 6,146

-12.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.65

507.82%

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

Last update for Istanbul: 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

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8% 13.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2% 10.7% $28

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1% 2.9% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 17.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9% 41.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7% 25.6% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6% 31.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $231, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

324,576

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cluj-Napoca 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

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

Cluj-Napoca is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Istanbul. 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Cluj-Napoca runs roughly 34% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.