Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Mures and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index
68

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

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Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Targu Mures versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca.

Targu Mures $938
Cluj-Napoca $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,461 in Targu Mures versus $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca.

Targu Mures $1,461
Cluj-Napoca $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,984 in Targu Mures versus $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca.

Targu Mures $1,984
Cluj-Napoca $2,831

Living in Targu Mures costs roughly 34% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Targu Mures is 31% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 RON 43.15

$12.53 RON 59.3

-27.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.19 RON 200

$54.5 RON 258

-22.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 RON 37.83

$9.73 RON 46.01

-17.78%

Cappuccino

$2.17 RON 10.27

$3.68 RON 17.42

-41.03%

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

$1.44 RON 6.83

$2.31 RON 10.92

-37.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.31 RON 10.93

-46.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 RON 9.04

$3.22 RON 15.24

-40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 RON 10.68

$4.26 RON 20.14

-46.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.63 RON 7.69

-17.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$1.43 RON 6.78

-25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$1.82 RON 8.63

-20.33%

Eggs

$2.88 RON 13.65

$3.82 RON 18.08

-24.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 RON 37.84

$9.16 RON 43.34

-12.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 RON 27.47

$7.08 RON 33.50

-17.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 RON 47.68

$11.76 RON 55.7

-14.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$1.40 RON 6.64

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.29

$1.70 RON 8.03

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$1.89 RON 8.96

-26.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$2.42 RON 11.43

-21.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.92 RON 4.36

-16.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 RON 2.61

$0.88 RON 4.15

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.97 RON 4.59

-17.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.97 RON 4.61

-20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 RON 27.61

$6.21 RON 29.39

-5.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 RON 34.98

$7.54 RON 35.66

-1.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.26 RON 5.96

-15.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 RON 7.32

$1.70 RON 8.05

-8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.72 RON 3.42

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.06 RON 119

$31.02 RON 147

-19.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.14

$0.88 RON 4.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$0.93 RON 4.40

-8.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 RON 35.32

$8.51 RON 40.26

-12.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.92 RON 9.08

-5.73%

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

$28.1K RON 133.0K

$28.9K RON 136.7K

-2.74%

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

$25.3K RON 119.8K

$24.4K RON 115.2K

3.96%

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

$101 RON 477

$156 RON 739

-35.46%

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

$9.37 RON 44.35

$8.74 RON 41.34

7.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.19 RON 38.75

$9.61 RON 45.46

-14.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.30 RON 200

$46.29 RON 219

-8.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 RON 87.0

$21.98 RON 104

-16.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 RON 29.67

$9.27 RON 43.87

-32.36%

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

$1,330 RON 6,291

$587 RON 2,775

126.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,749 RON 46.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 248

$90.1 RON 426

-41.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 RON 141

$46.13 RON 218

-35.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 RON 363

$98.2 RON 465

-21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 RON 366

$110 RON 522

-29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 RON 1,964

$623 RON 2,950

-33.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 RON 1,355

$529 RON 2,502

-45.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 RON 3,077

$1,143 RON 5,407

-43.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,232

$820 RON 3,881

-42.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,238 RON 10.6K

$4,578 RON 21.7K

-51.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,487 RON 7,035

$3,358 RON 15.9K

-55.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 RON 4,687

$1,261 RON 5,964

-21.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

6.65

12.33%

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

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Mures

$286 30.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5% 84.6% $242

Groceries & Markets

Targu Mures

$192 20.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5% 21.5% $41

Eating Out

Targu Mures

$148 15.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3% 46.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Mures

$118 12.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4% 47.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Mures

$106 11.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 45.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Mures

$55 5.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 18.2% $10

Getting Around

Targu Mures

$33 3.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 20.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Targu Mures and $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 27% 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: $42.00 in Targu Mures vs $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $233 per month, with Targu Mures cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

Same time as Targu Mures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,290

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

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Between locations

Targu Mures Cluj-Napoca 78 km

From you

Targu Mures
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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

Targu Mures vs Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Mures is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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: $415 in Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures runs roughly 24% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,330 in Targu Mures versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $938 in Targu Mures versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Mures but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Mures the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Targu Mures 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, Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.