Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petrosani and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrosani: $745 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Petrosani
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Petrosani Living Index
68

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

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Petrosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$745

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $745 in Petrosani versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Petrosani $745
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,154 in Petrosani versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Petrosani $1,154
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,562 in Petrosani versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Petrosani $1,562
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Petrosani costs roughly 48% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Petrosani is 45% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.56 RON 70.0

$12.58 RON 60.5

15.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.54 RON 156

$54.8 RON 264

-40.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 RON 35.93

$9.59 RON 46.13

-22.11%

Cappuccino

$2.14 RON 10.28

$3.78 RON 18.15

-43.39%

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

$1.66 RON 7.96

$2.30 RON 11.08

-27.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$2.22 RON 10.68

-36.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 RON 6.94

$3.32 RON 15.95

-56.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 RON 10.24

$4.20 RON 20.18

-49.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RON 6.63

$1.60 RON 7.71

-13.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RON 5.58

$1.44 RON 6.93

-19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 RON 5.12

$1.69 RON 8.14

-37.28%

Eggs

$3.53 RON 16.98

$3.76 RON 18.05

-6.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 RON 39.81

$9.07 RON 43.59

-8.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 RON 33.21

$7.14 RON 34.31

-3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 RON 55.9

$11.46 RON 55.1

1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.18

$1.39 RON 6.66

-7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.24

$1.58 RON 7.60

-17.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.23

$1.88 RON 9.05

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.12

$2.37 RON 11.38

-37.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.14

$0.92 RON 4.43

-29.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.90 RON 4.32

-32.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.22

$0.90 RON 4.35

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 RON 4.39

$1.01 RON 4.84

-9.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 RON 30.50

$6.42 RON 30.87

-1.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 RON 30.01

$7.41 RON 35.63

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 RON 6.01

$1.25 RON 5.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 RON 7.92

$1.73 RON 8.32

-4.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.90

$0.76 RON 3.65

6.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 RON 213

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.90

$0.84 RON 4.02

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.15

$0.96 RON 4.63

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.38 RON 30.65

$8.27 RON 39.75

-22.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 RON 8.74

$1.94 RON 9.32

-6.19%

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

$28.1K RON 135.0K

$28.3K RON 136.2K

-0.88%

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

$26.1K RON 125.4K

$24.7K RON 118.9K

5.42%

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

$193 RON 930

$151 RON 725

28.25%

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

$8.03 RON 38.61

$8.44 RON 40.56

-4.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.09 RON 24.45

$9.16 RON 44.05

-44.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.74 RON 143

$47.36 RON 228

-37.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 RON 106

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 RON 25.08

$9.35 RON 44.97

-44.17%

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

$667 RON 3,208

$577 RON 2,774

15.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$9,450 RON 45.4K

52.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.70 RON 80.3

$87.1 RON 419

-80.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.81 RON 182

$44.26 RON 213

-14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 RON 376

$98.8 RON 475

-20.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 RON 408

$107 RON 513

-20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,213

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,575

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 RON 5,897

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 RON 3,882

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$895 RON 4,302

$4,568 RON 22.0K

-80.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$867 RON 4,169

$3,342 RON 16.1K

-74.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,100 RON 5,288

$1,241 RON 5,964

-11.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.65

1.50%

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

Last update for Petrosani: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petrosani

$207 27.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 18.5% $38

Groceries & Markets

Petrosani

$205 27.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 12% $25

Eating Out

Petrosani

$188 25.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 15.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Petrosani

$98 13.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 54.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Petrosani

$40 5.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 64.5% $26

Getting Around

Petrosani

$7.1 * 1%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 643% $46

Accommodation & Living

Petrosani

- * 0%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cluj-Napoca pays 13% 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: $33 in Petrosani vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $230 per month, with Petrosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Petrosani

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

Same time as Petrosani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,476

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Petrosani Cluj-Napoca 150 km

From you

Petrosani
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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

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

Petrosani is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Petrosani. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $667 in Petrosani versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Petrosani – a meal for two runs $33 versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $745 in Petrosani versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Petrosani but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Petrosani 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, Petrosani and Cluj-Napoca are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Petrosani wins on affordability, Cluj-Napoca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.