Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,423 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
68

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

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Mexico City $1,608
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Mexico City $2,549
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Mexico City $3,490
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Mexico City is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Cluj-Napoca 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$12.58 RON 60.5

-15.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$54.8 RON 263

-11.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.59 RON 46.11

7.92%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.78 RON 18.15

-2.38%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.30 RON 11.07

-27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.22 RON 10.68

-42.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.32 RON 15.94

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.20 RON 20.17

26.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.60 RON 7.70

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.44 RON 6.93

111.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.69 RON 8.14

14.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.76 RON 18.05

-23.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.07 RON 43.57

20.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.14 RON 34.30

29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$11.46 RON 55.1

32.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.39 RON 6.66

119.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.58 RON 7.60

22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.88 RON 9.04

7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.37 RON 11.38

-2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.92 RON 4.43

121.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.90 RON 4.32

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.90 RON 4.34

64.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.01 RON 4.84

25.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$6.42 RON 30.86

-17.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.41 RON 35.62

117.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.25 RON 5.98

58.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.73 RON 8.31

145.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.76 RON 3.65

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$44.23 RON 213

-55.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.84 RON 4.01

119.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.96 RON 4.62

-44.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.27 RON 39.74

-35.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.94 RON 9.32

-22.16%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$28.3K RON 136.1K

-23.21%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$24.7K RON 118.9K

-3.04%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$151 RON 725

-58.25%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$8.44 RON 40.55

224.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$9.16 RON 44.04

289.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$47.36 RON 228

24.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$22.01 RON 106

7.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$9.35 RON 44.95

-31.55%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$577 RON 2,774

-25.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$9,450 RON 45.4K

20.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$87.1 RON 419

-21.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$44.26 RON 213

20.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$98.8 RON 475

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$107 RON 513

9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$668 RON 3,212

66.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$536 RON 2,575

32.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,227 RON 5,895

111.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$807 RON 3,881

74.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$4,568 RON 22.0K

-20.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$3,342 RON 16.1K

-36.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,241 RON 5,962

-23.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.65

70.68%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 24.6% $175

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 28% $89

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 9.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 2.7% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 33.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 7.9% $5.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 108% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $230, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cluj-Napoca 10,690 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cluj-Napoca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 55% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cluj-Napoca delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,423 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cluj-Napoca hard to pass up.