Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugoj and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $763 a month against $905 in Sibu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

Jump to prices

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$763

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lugoj and in Sibu

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 Sibu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $763 in Lugoj versus $905 in Sibu.

Lugoj $763
Sibu $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,197 in Lugoj versus $1,406 in Sibu.

Lugoj $1,197
Sibu $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,631 in Lugoj versus $1,906 in Sibu.

Lugoj $1,631
Sibu $1,906

Living in Lugoj costs roughly 16% less than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lugoj 44% lower, Sibu 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.17 RON 44.10

$2.26 MYR 9.22

305.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.79 RON 162

$19.22 MYR 78.5

75.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 RON 24.54

$4.23 MYR 17.28

20.80%

Cappuccino

$1.81 RON 8.72

$2.30 MYR 9.38

-21.30%

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

$1.61 RON 7.73

$0.61 MYR 2.50

163.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.87

$0.23 MYR 0.94

521.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 RON 9.99

$2.86 MYR 11.69

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.79

$4.46 MYR 18.23

-54.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.54

$1.76 MYR 7.20

-10.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 RON 4.31

$0.87 MYR 3.57

3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.13

$1.33 MYR 5.42

-51.13%

Eggs

$1.26 RON 6.08

$2.18 MYR 8.89

-42.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.40 RON 16.33

$13.35 MYR 54.5

-74.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 RON 18.85

$4.90 MYR 20.04

-20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.14 RON 19.88

$9.92 MYR 40.56

-58.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 RON 5.12

$2.86 MYR 11.70

-62.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 RON 5.83

$1.81 MYR 7.41

-33.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$2.36 MYR 9.65

-30.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.17

$1.69 MYR 6.92

-60.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-55.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.11

$1.33 MYR 5.45

-51.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RON 4.62

$1.06 MYR 4.32

-9.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.16

$0.56 MYR 2.29

17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 RON 22.66

$4.48 MYR 18.33

5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 RON 20.14

$19.27 MYR 78.8

-78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 RON 5.79

$3.02 MYR 12.33

-59.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.24

$4.61 MYR 18.86

-62.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.18

$0.79 MYR 3.24

-16.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.21 RON 102

$11.49 MYR 46.96

84.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$1.04 MYR 4.27

-21.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.61 MYR 2.50

57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 RON 40.61

$7.27 MYR 29.71

16.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.95

$0.87 MYR 3.54

113.79%

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

$29.0K RON 139.4K

$45.5K MYR 186.1K

-36.30%

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

$24.4K RON 117.2K

$36.2K MYR 147.7K

-32.58%

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

$51.5 RON 248

$48.91 MYR 200

5.25%

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

$8.42 RON 40.47

$7.37 MYR 30.11

14.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.44 RON 45.37

$26.21 MYR 107

-63.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.31 RON 102

$27.13 MYR 111

-21.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.56 RON 123

$6.38 MYR 26.09

300.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 RON 45.85

$3.72 MYR 15.22

156.45%

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

$576 RON 2,768

$243 MYR 992

137.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,610 RON 46.2K

$6,876 MYR 28.1K

39.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 RON 427

$56.1 MYR 229

58.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.91 RON 216

$36.43 MYR 149

23.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 RON 466

$69.2 MYR 283

40.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 RON 495

$78.2 MYR 319

31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$181 RON 871

$390 MYR 1,592

-53.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 RON 992

$318 MYR 1,298

-35.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$316 RON 1,519

$698 MYR 2,851

-54.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 RON 1,491

$630 MYR 2,573

-50.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,296 RON 6,233

$2,136 MYR 8,731

-39.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,028 RON 4,942

$1,165 MYR 4,762

-11.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$916 RON 4,403

$487 MYR 1,990

88.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

4.06

63.79%

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

Last update for Lugoj: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lugoj

$206 27.1%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 53.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Lugoj

$150 19.7%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 28.1% $42

Eating Out

Lugoj

$137 18%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 38.1% $52

Groceries & Markets

Lugoj

$130 17%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 99.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugoj

$69 9.1%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 19% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lugoj

$40 5.3%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 14.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Lugoj

$29 3.9%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 36.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $181 in Lugoj and $390 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lugoj pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Lugoj vs $19 in Sibu. Groceries flip the comparison at $130 vs $258, with Lugoj cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

21:02 9:02 PM

6 h ahead of Lugoj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,742

198,239

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lugoj Sibu 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lugoj
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugoj and Sibu differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($763 vs $905 including rent). Lugoj is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Lugoj, 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: $181 in Lugoj versus $390 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $763 per month in Lugoj versus $905 in Sibu – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sibu runs roughly 46% less than in Lugoj. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Lugoj gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Sibu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.