Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,145 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,145

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Arad

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

A single person spends $1,145 per month in Timisoara vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Timisoara $1,145
Arad $873

A couple spends around $1,760 per month in Timisoara vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Timisoara $1,760
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Timisoara vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Timisoara $2,374
Arad $1,858

Timisoara costs about 31% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Timisoara and Arad are more affordable than the global median – Timisoara 15% lower, Arad 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.28 RON 48.66

$8.16 RON 38.63

25.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.90 RON 222

$32.35 RON 153

44.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 RON 40.56

$7.15 RON 33.83

19.86%

Cappuccino

$3.03 RON 14.35

$2.63 RON 12.45

15.21%

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

$2.18 RON 10.33

$1.48 RON 7.00

47.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.49

$1.59 RON 7.53

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 RON 13.06

$2.14 RON 10.15

28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.24

$2.48 RON 11.71

72.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.12 RON 5.32

22.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 RON 5.65

$1.22 RON 5.76

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RON 6.25

$1.72 RON 8.16

-23.26%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.69

$2.57 RON 12.17

12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 RON 39.82

$7.17 RON 33.94

17.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 27.84

$4.87 RON 23.03

20.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.25 RON 53.2

$10.13 RON 47.93

11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.60 RON 7.59

-28.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.11

$1.70 RON 8.05

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$1.69 RON 8.02

-13.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.45

$1.40 RON 6.60

72.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.69

$0.76 RON 3.59

2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.85 RON 4.04

8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$1.18 RON 5.60

-41.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.77 RON 3.63

1.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.36

$5.95 RON 28.14

4.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 RON 35.52

$5.73 RON 27.10

31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.22 RON 5.78

-6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.34

$1.78 RON 8.40

-1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$0.87 RON 4.11

22.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.44 RON 158

$29.34 RON 139

13.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.79 RON 3.71

1.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$1.07 RON 5.06

-19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 RON 38.56

$10.40 RON 49.22

-21.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RON 8.83

$1.84 RON 8.72

1.63%

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

$28.5K RON 135.0K

$27.8K RON 131.8K

2.42%

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

$23.5K RON 111.2K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

-5.62%

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

$170 RON 802

$125 RON 590

35.98%

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

$6.75 RON 31.94

$8.19 RON 38.74

-17.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.48 RON 40.12

$7.28 RON 34.42

16.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.51 RON 182

$34.12 RON 161

12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 RON 75.9

$30.83 RON 146

-47.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 RON 37.48

$5.27 RON 24.91

50.28%

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

$574 RON 2,718

$159 RON 752

261.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,658 RON 41.0K

$3,847 RON 18.2K

125.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 RON 347

$42.29 RON 200

73.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.81 RON 188

$21.47 RON 102

85.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 RON 367

$70.9 RON 335

9.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 RON 415

$72.6 RON 343

20.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$527 RON 2,494

$332 RON 1,571

58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 RON 1,666

$222 RON 1,052

58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 RON 3,897

$529 RON 2,505

55.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 RON 2,920

$412 RON 1,951

49.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,554 RON 12.1K

$1,420 RON 6,719

79.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 RON 8,752

$1,062 RON 5,027

74.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,175 RON 5,557

$919 RON 4,349

27.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

7.35

-6.39%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$352 30.8%

Arad

$222 25.5% 36.9% $130

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.8%

Arad

$188 21.5% 7.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$185 16.1%

Arad

$140 16% 24.2% $45

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.9%

Arad

$146 16.8% 19.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.9%

Arad

$93 10.7% 25.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$54 4.7%

Arad

$45 5.1% 17.8% $9.7

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Arad

$39 4.5% 9.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $527 in Timisoara versus $332 in Arad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Timisoara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Timisoara versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

159,074

💱 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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Timisoara Arad 47 km

From you

Timisoara
Arad

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

Timisoara vs Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara costs about 31% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,718 per month in Timisoara and $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Timisoara and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,145 in Timisoara and $873 in Arad. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Timisoara at $1,145. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Timisoara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,145 in Timisoara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Timisoara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.