Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oradea and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Oradea: $1,023 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
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Oradea Living Index
68

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

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Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,023

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Oradea versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Oradea $1,023
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,523 in Oradea versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Oradea $1,523
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,022 in Oradea versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Oradea $2,022
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Oradea costs roughly 28% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Oradea is 25% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 RON 39.50

$12.58 RON 60.2

-34.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.28 RON 198

$54.8 RON 262

-24.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 RON 35.48

$9.59 RON 45.90

-22.63%

Cappuccino

$2.58 RON 12.34

$3.78 RON 18.07

-31.75%

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

$1.90 RON 9.07

$2.30 RON 11.02

-17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$2.22 RON 10.63

-19.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.26

$3.32 RON 15.87

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 RON 15.25

$4.20 RON 20.08

-24.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 RON 7.05

$1.60 RON 7.67

-8.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 RON 5.04

$1.44 RON 6.90

-27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 RON 5.54

$1.69 RON 8.10

-31.36%

Eggs

$2.78 RON 13.28

$3.76 RON 17.97

-26.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 RON 38.91

$9.07 RON 43.38

-10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 RON 29.33

$7.14 RON 34.15

-14.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 RON 42.16

$11.46 RON 54.8

-23.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.12

$1.39 RON 6.63

-23.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.18

$1.58 RON 7.56

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$1.88 RON 9.00

-23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.52

$2.37 RON 11.33

-42.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.83

$0.92 RON 4.41

-13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 RON 4.15

$0.90 RON 4.30

-3.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RON 3.25

$0.90 RON 4.32

-24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$1.01 RON 4.81

-19.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 RON 26.92

$6.42 RON 30.72

-12.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 RON 28.23

$7.41 RON 35.46

-20.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.71

$1.25 RON 5.96

-20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.42

$1.73 RON 8.28

1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.92

$0.76 RON 3.63

7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.55 RON 108

$44.23 RON 212

-49.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 RON 3.55

$0.84 RON 4.00

-11.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.96 RON 4.60

-27.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 RON 34.77

$8.27 RON 39.56

-12.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.94 RON 9.27

-8.25%

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

$28.0K RON 134.2K

$28.3K RON 135.5K

-1.00%

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

$24.8K RON 118.6K

$24.7K RON 118.4K

0.16%

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

$137 RON 655

$151 RON 722

-9.30%

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

$6.29 RON 30.10

$8.44 RON 40.37

-25.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 RON 37.32

$9.16 RON 43.84

-14.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 RON 225

$47.36 RON 227

-0.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 RON 78.5

$22.01 RON 105

-25.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 RON 36.06

$9.35 RON 44.75

-19.36%

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

$385 RON 1,841

$577 RON 2,761

-33.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,983 RON 43.0K

$9,450 RON 45.2K

-4.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 RON 290

$87.1 RON 417

-30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.01 RON 177

$44.26 RON 212

-16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.6 RON 266

$98.8 RON 473

-43.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.9 RON 301

$107 RON 511

-41.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 RON 2,049

$668 RON 3,197

-35.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 RON 1,654

$536 RON 2,563

-35.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 RON 3,077

$1,227 RON 5,868

-47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 RON 2,411

$807 RON 3,863

-37.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,267 RON 10.8K

$4,568 RON 21.9K

-50.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,806 RON 8,641

$3,342 RON 16.0K

-45.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 RON 4,289

$1,241 RON 5,935

-27.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.1

6.65

6.77%

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

Last update for Oradea: 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

Oradea

$346 33.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 54.9% $190

Groceries & Markets

Oradea

$186 18.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 23.5% $44

Eating Out

Oradea

$151 14.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 44.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oradea

$151 14.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 11.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Oradea

$97 9.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 55.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Oradea

$62 6.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 6.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Oradea

$30 2.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 76.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $428 in Oradea and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 38% 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: $41 in Oradea vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $230 per month, with Oradea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Oradea

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Oradea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196,367

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Oradea Cluj-Napoca 130 km

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Oradea
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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

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

Oradea is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Oradea. 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: $428 in Oradea 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 Oradea runs roughly 49% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $385 in Oradea versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Oradea 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, Oradea and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Oradea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.