Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piestany and Satu Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 a month against $1,144 in Piestany, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Piestany outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piestany
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Piestany Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index

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Piestany

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,144

/mo nomad

Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Piestany and in Satu Mare

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Piestany and in Satu Mare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Piestany versus $930 in Satu Mare.

Piestany $1,144
Satu Mare $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,774 in Piestany versus $1,406 in Satu Mare.

Piestany $1,774
Satu Mare $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,404 in Piestany versus $1,883 in Satu Mare.

Piestany $2,404
Satu Mare $1,883

Living in Piestany is roughly 23% more expensive than in Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Piestany 16% lower, Satu Mare 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.26 €6.45

$8.20 RON 38.81

-11.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.17 €23.28

$32.51 RON 154

-19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 €6.95

$6.48 RON 30.67

20.52%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$2.50 RON 11.81

-22.00%

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

$1.61 €1.43

$1.49 RON 7.04

8.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.28 RON 6.07

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.87 RON 8.87

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.44 RON 11.55

-5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.13 RON 5.33

-8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.06 RON 5.04

-14.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.13 RON 5.36

-22.12%

Eggs

$2.85 €2.54

$2.69 RON 12.71

5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 €7.95

$7.35 RON 34.79

21.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 €5.65

$7.53 RON 35.63

-15.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 €9.85

$10.83 RON 51.2

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.10 RON 5.19

81.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.30 RON 6.15

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.28 RON 6.04

64.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.84

$1.43 RON 6.75

201.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.19 RON 5.61

3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.37 RON 6.48

35.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.88 RON 4.14

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.71 RON 3.34

-1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 €4.68

$5.57 RON 26.38

-5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 €4.39

$6.19 RON 29.29

-20.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.23 RON 5.80

-30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.70 RON 8.06

-8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.54 RON 2.56

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.41 RON 111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.80 RON 3.79

241.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.85 RON 4.03

35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 €20.18

$8.10 RON 38.34

180.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.58 RON 7.47

11.39%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$22.8K RON 107.9K

15.42%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$25.3K RON 119.5K

10.44%

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

$222 €197

$126 RON 597

76.00%

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

$16.06 €14.29

$7.14 RON 33.79

124.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.52 €13.81

$7.25 RON 34.30

114.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.18 €38.41

$41.55 RON 197

3.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.54 €14.72

$10.68 RON 50.5

54.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 €6.84

$6.19 RON 29.29

24.23%

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

$337 €300

$155 RON 733

117.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,829 RON 18.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.69 €39.75

$59.6 RON 282

-25.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 €29.35

$28.51 RON 135

15.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.3 €49.15

$85.6 RON 405

-35.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.96 €40.00

$69.2 RON 328

-35.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 €402

$322 RON 1,524

40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 €354

$260 RON 1,229

53.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 €885

$647 RON 3,060

53.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 €803

$410 RON 1,938

120.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 €2,880

$1,007 RON 4,765

221.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 €2,533

$1,056 RON 4,995

169.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,178 €1,047

$650 RON 3,075

81.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

7.05

-53.19%

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

Last update for Piestany: October 19, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piestany

$398 34.8%

Satu Mare

$260 27.9% 34.8% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piestany

$254 22.2%

Satu Mare

$141 15.1% 44.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Piestany

$213 18.7%

Satu Mare

$195 21% 8.6% $18

Eating Out

Piestany

$127 11.1%

Satu Mare

$140 15.1% 10.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Piestany

$80 7%

Satu Mare

$109 11.8% 36.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Piestany

$59 5.1%

Satu Mare

$54 5.8% 7.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Piestany

$13 * 1.1%

Satu Mare

$31 3.3% 144% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $452 in Piestany and $322 in Satu Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piestany pays 81% 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: $26.00 in Piestany vs $33.00 in Satu Mare. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $195, with Satu Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Piestany

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h ahead of Piestany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,587

102,411

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Piestany Satu Mare 380 km

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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

Piestany vs Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Satu Mare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Piestany, 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: $452 in Piestany versus $322 in Satu Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Piestany. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,144 per month in Piestany versus $930 in Satu Mare – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Satu Mare 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, Piestany and Satu Mare are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Satu Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Piestany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.