Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugoj and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $769 a month against $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
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Lugoj Living Index
68

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

Jump to prices

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$769

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Lugoj versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca.

Lugoj $769
Cluj-Napoca $1,424

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,201 in Lugoj versus $2,141 in Cluj-Napoca.

Lugoj $1,201
Cluj-Napoca $2,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,633 in Lugoj versus $2,858 in Cluj-Napoca.

Lugoj $1,633
Cluj-Napoca $2,858

Living in Lugoj costs roughly 46% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lugoj is 43% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 RON 43.61

$12.23 RON 58.1

-24.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.57 RON 160

$55.3 RON 263

-39.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 RON 24.60

$9.39 RON 44.63

-44.94%

Cappuccino

$1.75 RON 8.30

$3.79 RON 18.01

-53.83%

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

$1.54 RON 7.31

$2.40 RON 11.42

-35.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RON 7.17

$2.33 RON 11.07

-35.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.75

$3.20 RON 15.20

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 RON 9.24

$4.11 RON 19.54

-52.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.61

$1.57 RON 7.47

1.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 RON 4.62

$1.41 RON 6.69

-31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$1.80 RON 8.56

-63.89%

Eggs

$1.28 RON 6.07

$3.70 RON 17.57

-65.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 RON 15.99

$9.23 RON 43.88

-63.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 RON 18.47

$7.16 RON 34.03

-45.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.23 RON 20.09

$11.81 RON 56.2

-64.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$1.37 RON 6.52

-25.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 RON 5.89

$1.60 RON 7.59

-22.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$1.87 RON 8.88

-11.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$2.31 RON 10.97

-73.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.92 RON 4.35

-28.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$0.88 RON 4.16

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.96 RON 4.58

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.90

$0.96 RON 4.55

-36.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 RON 23.04

$6.33 RON 30.11

-23.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 RON 20.48

$7.50 RON 35.63

-42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.70

$1.22 RON 5.79

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 RON 8.19

$1.75 RON 8.31

-1.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.70 RON 3.34

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.22 RON 101

$43.90 RON 209

-51.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.81 RON 3.86

8.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.82 RON 3.90

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 RON 39.66

$8.25 RON 39.23

1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RON 9.08

$1.98 RON 9.42

-3.54%

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

$28.5K RON 135.5K

$28.3K RON 134.4K

0.76%

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

$24.9K RON 118.3K

$24.6K RON 116.9K

1.15%

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

$52.6 RON 250

$152 RON 721

-65.33%

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

$8.27 RON 39.30

$8.05 RON 38.27

2.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.56 RON 45.46

$9.37 RON 44.53

2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.04 RON 100

$48.94 RON 233

-57.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 119

$22.31 RON 106

12.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 RON 45.07

$9.32 RON 44.29

1.72%

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

$584 RON 2,776

$577 RON 2,745

1.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RON 59.1K

$12.3K RON 58.4K

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 421

$87.3 RON 415

1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.68 RON 208

$43.70 RON 208

-0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 RON 462

$99.8 RON 474

-2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 RON 502

$107 RON 509

-1.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 RON 867

$662 RON 3,148

-72.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,009

$539 RON 2,560

-60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 RON 1,482

$1,247 RON 5,925

-75.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 RON 1,494

$836 RON 3,975

-62.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,320 RON 6,272

$4,596 RON 21.8K

-71.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,057 RON 5,022

$3,264 RON 15.5K

-67.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,368

$1,293 RON 6,148

-28.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

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

Last update for Lugoj: 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

Lugoj

$212 27.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$539 37.8% 154% $326

Clothing & Footwear

Lugoj

$151 19.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 0.9% $1.3

Eating Out

Lugoj

$136 17.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$215 15.1% 57.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Lugoj

$130 16.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$231 16.2% 77.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugoj

$70 9.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$169 11.9% 140% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Lugoj

$40 5.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$68 4.7% 69% $28

Getting Around

Lugoj

$29 3.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$52 3.6% 79% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $182 in Lugoj and $662 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 41% 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: $34 in Lugoj vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $130 vs $231 per month, with Lugoj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

Same time as Lugoj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,742

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lugoj Cluj-Napoca 180 km

From you

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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

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

Lugoj is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Lugoj. 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: $182 in Lugoj 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 Lugoj runs roughly 52% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $584 in Lugoj versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $769 in Lugoj versus $1,424 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lugoj but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Lugoj 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, Lugoj and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lugoj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.