Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mamaia and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mamaia: $1,039 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mamaia, Romania
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Mamaia
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,039
/mo nomad
Cluj-Napoca
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,423
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,039 in Mamaia versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

  • Mamaia $1,039
  • Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,585 in Mamaia versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

  • Mamaia $1,585
  • Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,132 in Mamaia versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

  • Mamaia $2,132
  • Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Mamaia costs roughly 27% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mamaia is 24% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.00 RON 47.93
$12.58 RON 60.3
-20.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.70 RON 224
$54.8 RON 263
-14.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.73 RON 37.08
$9.59 RON 46.01
-19.40%
Cappuccino
$2.70 RON 12.93
$3.78 RON 18.11
-28.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 RON 9.59
$2.30 RON 11.05
-13.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 RON 8.21
$2.22 RON 10.66
-22.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.28 RON 10.95
$3.32 RON 15.91
-31.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 RON 12.92
$4.20 RON 20.13
-35.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 RON 7.36
$1.60 RON 7.69
-4.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 RON 5.99
$1.44 RON 6.92
-13.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 RON 7.73
$1.69 RON 8.12
-4.73%
Eggs
$3.33 RON 15.98
$3.76 RON 18.01
-11.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.34 RON 39.99
$9.07 RON 43.48
-8.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.76 RON 32.42
$7.14 RON 34.23
-5.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.83 RON 47.15
$11.46 RON 54.9
-14.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.13 RON 5.43
$1.39 RON 6.65
-18.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 RON 7.54
$1.58 RON 7.58
-0.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 RON 7.66
$1.88 RON 9.03
-14.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 RON 10.51
$2.37 RON 11.36
-7.59%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 RON 4.13
$0.92 RON 4.42
-6.52%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 RON 4.58
$0.90 RON 4.31
5.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 RON 4.29
$0.90 RON 4.33
-1.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 RON 4.03
$1.01 RON 4.83
-16.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.03 RON 28.92
$6.42 RON 30.79
-6.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.16 RON 29.56
$7.41 RON 35.54
-16.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 RON 5.10
$1.25 RON 5.97
-15.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 RON 8.05
$1.73 RON 8.30
-2.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 RON 3.22
$0.76 RON 3.64
-11.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.09 RON 96.3
$44.23 RON 212
-54.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 RON 3.72
$0.84 RON 4.01
-7.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 RON 3.63
$0.96 RON 4.61
-20.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.75 RON 32.36
$8.27 RON 39.65
-18.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 RON 7.67
$1.94 RON 9.30
-17.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K RON 132.2K
$28.3K RON 135.9K
-2.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K RON 132.3K
$24.7K RON 118.6K
11.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 RON 694
$151 RON 723
-4.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.99 RON 38.32
$8.44 RON 40.46
-5.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.19 RON 44.09
$9.16 RON 43.94
0.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.87 RON 201
$47.36 RON 227
-11.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.21 RON 92.1
$22.01 RON 106
-12.72%
Cinema Ticket
$7.03 RON 33.73
$9.35 RON 44.86
-24.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 RON 2,081
$577 RON 2,768
-24.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,018 RON 33.7K
$9,450 RON 45.3K
-25.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.1 RON 322
$87.1 RON 418
-22.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.98 RON 197
$44.26 RON 212
-7.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.5 RON 357
$98.8 RON 474
-24.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.4 RON 453
$107 RON 512
-11.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 RON 1,853
$668 RON 3,205
-42.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 RON 1,410
$536 RON 2,569
-45.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$585 RON 2,807
$1,227 RON 5,882
-52.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$444 RON 2,128
$807 RON 3,872
-45.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,887 RON 9,050
$4,568 RON 21.9K
-58.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,480 RON 7,099
$3,342 RON 16.0K
-55.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mamaia
Cluj-Napoca
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,241 RON 5,949
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
6.65
-2.26%

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

Last update for Mamaia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mamaia
$294
Cluj-Napoca
$536 82.2% $242
Groceries & Markets
Mamaia
$208
Cluj-Napoca
$230 10.8% $23
Eating Out
Mamaia
$167
Cluj-Napoca
$218 30.3% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mamaia
$162
Cluj-Napoca
$168 4% $6.5
Clothing & Footwear
Mamaia
$125
Cluj-Napoca
$152 21.7% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Mamaia
$56
Cluj-Napoca
$66 18.1% $10
Getting Around
Mamaia
$27
Cluj-Napoca
$53 93.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $386 in Mamaia and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Mamaia vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $230 per month, with Mamaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Mamaia
🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca
🕒 Local time
06:26 6:26 AM
06:26 6:26 AM
Same time as Mamaia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
441
324,576
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.8 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mamaia Cluj-Napoca 480 km
From you
  • Mamaia
  • 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
Mamaia vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mamaia cheaper than Cluj-Napoca?
Mamaia is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,558 in Mamaia and $2,134 in Cluj-Napoca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Mamaia and Cluj-Napoca?
Rent for a central apartment: $386 in Mamaia versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Mamaia runs roughly 55% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $434 in Mamaia versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $2,000 enough for either Mamaia or Cluj-Napoca?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mamaia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Mamaia or Cluj-Napoca more family-friendly?
For families, Mamaia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Mamaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Mamaia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?