Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portimao and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca: $1,406 a month against $1,530 in Portimao, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portimao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Portimao
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Portimao Living Index
68

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

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Portimao

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,530

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Portimao versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca.

Portimao $1,530
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,351 in Portimao versus $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca.

Portimao $2,351
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,172 in Portimao versus $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca.

Portimao $3,172
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Living in Portimao is roughly 9% more expensive than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portimao 13% above, Cluj-Napoca 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 €11.85

$12.77 RON 60.4

4.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 €59.9

$54.8 RON 259

22.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 €9.32

$9.60 RON 45.41

9.06%

Cappuccino

$1.77 €1.57

$3.63 RON 17.18

-51.24%

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

$2.12 €1.88

$2.31 RON 10.92

-8.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.33 RON 11.01

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 €2.21

$3.27 RON 15.47

-23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 €3.79

$4.27 RON 20.21

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.53 RON 7.26

-26.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.51 RON 7.13

8.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.81 RON 8.55

-7.73%

Eggs

$3.11 €2.77

$3.86 RON 18.28

-19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 €10.27

$9.15 RON 43.28

26.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.33 €6.52

$7.28 RON 34.45

0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 €9.54

$11.73 RON 55.5

-8.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.42 RON 6.70

57.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.69 RON 8.00

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.95 RON 9.21

-29.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.39 RON 11.30

-3.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.94 RON 4.44

117.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.90 RON 4.26

142.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.90 RON 4.25

71.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.01 RON 4.79

-22.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.38

$6.11 RON 28.89

-0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$7.36 RON 34.84

-25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.29 RON 6.08

-16.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.77 RON 8.38

37.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.70 RON 3.29

177.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.98 €24.00

$30.67 RON 145

-12.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 €3.05

$0.89 RON 4.22

285.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.92 RON 4.37

14.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.72

$8.39 RON 39.71

97.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.90 RON 9.00

12.11%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

18.52%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

53.02%

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

$110 €98.3

$153 RON 725

-27.97%

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

$37.45 €33.31

$8.59 RON 40.64

335.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.48 €43.13

$9.77 RON 46.24

396.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.37 €42.14

$46.15 RON 218

2.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 €18.94

$22.53 RON 107

-5.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.79 €6.92

$9.32 RON 44.09

-16.42%

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

$587 RON 2,780

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,503 €4,005

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-52.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 €46.56

$88.5 RON 419

-40.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 €20.38

$45.73 RON 216

-49.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 €40.64

$101 RON 479

-54.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 €60.0

$108 RON 512

-37.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 €862

$622 RON 2,941

55.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$524 RON 2,480

36.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 €1,514

$1,147 RON 5,429

48.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,093

$806 RON 3,816

52.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,245 €3,776

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-9.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 €2,884

$3,348 RON 15.8K

-3.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 €876

$1,234 RON 5,837

-20.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

6.8

-32.65%

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

Last update for Portimao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portimao

$713 46.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 26.5% $189

Groceries & Markets

Portimao

$235 15.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portimao

$196 12.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 12.6% $25

Eating Out

Portimao

$195 12.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 11.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Portimao

$85 5.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 82.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Portimao

$63 4.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Portimao

$43 2.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 10.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $969 in Portimao and $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Portimao vs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $234 per month, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portimao

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

01:34 1:34 AM

2 h ahead of Portimao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,867

324,576

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Portimao Cluj-Napoca 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Portimao
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

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

Cluj-Napoca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $969 in Portimao versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cluj-Napoca – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $67.0 in Portimao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cluj-Napoca runs roughly 14% less than in Portimao. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,530 in Portimao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cluj-Napoca but tight or insufficient in Portimao. The gap between the two cities makes Cluj-Napoca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cluj-Napoca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Portimao, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Portimao 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.

Expats usually find Cluj-Napoca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Portimao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.