Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,423 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
68

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

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Lisbon $2,210
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Lisbon $3,275
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Lisbon $4,341
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Lisbon is roughly 55% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cluj-Napoca 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$12.58 RON 60.1

32.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$54.8 RON 262

12.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$9.59 RON 45.85

18.46%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.78 RON 18.05

-21.43%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.30 RON 11.01

-0.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.22 RON 10.62

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.32 RON 15.85

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.20 RON 20.06

-21.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.60 RON 7.66

-27.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.44 RON 6.89

32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.69 RON 8.09

-10.65%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.76 RON 17.95

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.07 RON 43.33

42.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$7.14 RON 34.11

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.46 RON 54.7

54.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.39 RON 6.62

65.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.58 RON 7.55

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.88 RON 8.99

-1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.37 RON 11.32

9.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.92 RON 4.40

97.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.90 RON 4.29

118.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.90 RON 4.32

63.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.01 RON 4.81

-28.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.42 RON 30.68

2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.41 RON 35.42

-24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.25 RON 5.95

8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.73 RON 8.27

23.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.76 RON 3.63

206.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$44.23 RON 211

1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.84 RON 3.99

358.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.96 RON 4.60

11.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$8.27 RON 39.51

99.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.94 RON 9.26

13.40%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.3K RON 135.4K

20.69%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$24.7K RON 118.2K

56.53%

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

$161 €144

$151 RON 721

6.87%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$8.44 RON 40.32

118.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$9.16 RON 43.79

257.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$47.36 RON 226

-5.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$22.01 RON 105

-13.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.35 RON 44.70

2.67%

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

$668 €598

$577 RON 2,758

15.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,450 RON 45.2K

86.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$87.1 RON 416

17.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$44.26 RON 211

0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$98.8 RON 472

-0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$107 RON 510

15.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$668 RON 3,193

140.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$536 RON 2,560

122.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,227 RON 5,861

129.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$807 RON 3,859

149.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,568 RON 21.8K

71.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,342 RON 16.0K

36.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,241 RON 5,928

26.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.65

-42.11%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 55% $654

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 15.5% $42

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 10.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 20.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 8.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 3.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 16.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 27% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $230 per month, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cluj-Napoca 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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

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

Cluj-Napoca is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $577 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 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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

It comes down to priorities – Cluj-Napoca wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.