Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roman and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $852 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index
68

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

Jump to prices

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$852

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Roman versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca.

Roman $852
Cluj-Napoca $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Roman versus $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca.

Roman $1,399
Cluj-Napoca $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,947 in Roman versus $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca.

Roman $1,947
Cluj-Napoca $2,831

Living in Roman costs roughly 40% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Roman is 37% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.70 RON 50.6

$12.53 RON 59.3

-14.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.56 RON 159

$54.5 RON 258

-38.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$9.73 RON 46.01

-26.00%

Cappuccino

$2.52 RON 11.94

$3.68 RON 17.42

-31.52%

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

$1.35 RON 6.41

$2.31 RON 10.92

-41.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 RON 5.12

$2.31 RON 10.93

-53.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 RON 9.85

$3.22 RON 15.24

-35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.65

$4.26 RON 20.14

-47.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.63 RON 7.69

-26.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.29

$1.43 RON 6.78

-51.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.82 RON 8.63

-24.18%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.65

$3.82 RON 18.08

-24.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 RON 36.97

$9.16 RON 43.34

-14.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 RON 27.34

$7.08 RON 33.50

-18.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 RON 40.89

$11.76 RON 55.7

-26.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.40 RON 6.64

-25.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 RON 7.23

$1.70 RON 8.03

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.89 RON 8.96

-26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.27

$2.42 RON 11.43

-27.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$0.92 RON 4.36

-22.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.88 RON 4.15

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 RON 3.91

$0.97 RON 4.59

-14.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 RON 3.45

$0.97 RON 4.61

-24.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 RON 26.60

$6.21 RON 29.39

-9.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 RON 24.49

$7.54 RON 35.66

-31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.78

$1.26 RON 5.96

-19.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.70 RON 8.05

-27.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$0.72 RON 3.42

-1.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$31.02 RON 147

-30.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.88 RON 4.17

-29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.08

$0.93 RON 4.40

-30.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$8.51 RON 40.26

-15.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.58

$1.92 RON 9.08

-5.73%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$28.9K RON 136.7K

-2.66%

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

$25.6K RON 121.0K

$24.4K RON 115.2K

4.97%

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

$151 RON 713

$156 RON 739

-3.45%

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

$6.75 RON 31.92

$8.74 RON 41.34

-22.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.70 RON 36.45

$9.61 RON 45.46

-19.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.05 RON 180

$46.29 RON 219

-17.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 RON 98.1

$21.98 RON 104

-5.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 RON 30.35

$9.27 RON 43.87

-30.74%

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

$294 RON 1,393

$587 RON 2,775

-49.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,007 RON 23.7K

$9,749 RON 46.1K

-48.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 RON 454

$90.1 RON 426

6.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.88 RON 122

$46.13 RON 218

-43.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 RON 291

$98.2 RON 465

-37.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.9 RON 269

$110 RON 522

-48.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 RON 976

$623 RON 2,950

-66.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 RON 762

$529 RON 2,502

-69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 RON 2,853

$1,143 RON 5,407

-47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 RON 2,093

$820 RON 3,881

-46.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,897 RON 8,977

$4,578 RON 21.7K

-58.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 RON 6,492

$3,358 RON 15.9K

-59.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$824 RON 3,900

$1,261 RON 5,964

-34.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.65

8.27%

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

Last update for Roman: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roman

$177 20.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5% 32% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roman

$165 19.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4% 5.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Roman

$162 19%

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3% 33.7% $55

Accommodation & Living

Roman

$161 18.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5% 228% $368

Clothing & Footwear

Roman

$108 12.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 43.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Roman

$51 6%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 27.4% $14

Getting Around

Roman

$28 3.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 39.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $206 in Roman and $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 53% 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: $34.00 in Roman vs $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $233 per month, with Roman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Roman

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

Same time as Roman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,328

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Roman Cluj-Napoca 250 km

From you

Roman
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

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

Roman is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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: $206 in Roman versus $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Roman runs roughly 44% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $294 in Roman versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $852 in Roman versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roman but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Roman the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Roman 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 Roman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.