Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,145 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
68

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

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,145

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,145 in Timisoara versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca.

Timisoara $1,145
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Timisoara versus $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca.

Timisoara $1,760
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,374 in Timisoara versus $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca.

Timisoara $2,374
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Living in Timisoara costs roughly 19% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Timisoara is 15% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.28 RON 48.66

$12.77 RON 60.4

-19.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.90 RON 222

$54.8 RON 259

-14.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 RON 40.56

$9.60 RON 45.41

-10.73%

Cappuccino

$3.03 RON 14.35

$3.63 RON 17.18

-16.53%

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

$2.18 RON 10.33

$2.31 RON 10.92

-5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.49

$2.33 RON 11.01

-32.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 RON 13.06

$3.27 RON 15.47

-15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.24

$4.27 RON 20.21

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.53 RON 7.26

-10.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 RON 5.65

$1.51 RON 7.13

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RON 6.25

$1.81 RON 8.55

-27.07%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.69

$3.86 RON 18.28

-25.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 RON 39.82

$9.15 RON 43.28

-7.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 27.84

$7.28 RON 34.45

-19.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.25 RON 53.2

$11.73 RON 55.5

-4.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.42 RON 6.70

-19.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.11

$1.69 RON 8.00

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$1.95 RON 9.21

-25.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 RON 11.45

$2.39 RON 11.30

1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.69

$0.94 RON 4.44

-17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$0.90 RON 4.26

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$0.90 RON 4.25

-23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$1.01 RON 4.79

-22.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.36

$6.11 RON 28.89

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 RON 35.52

$7.36 RON 34.84

2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.29 RON 6.08

-11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.34

$1.77 RON 8.38

-0.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$0.70 RON 3.29

52.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.44 RON 158

$30.67 RON 145

9.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.89 RON 4.22

-10.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$0.92 RON 4.37

-6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 RON 38.56

$8.39 RON 39.71

-2.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RON 8.83

$1.90 RON 9.00

-1.58%

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

$28.5K RON 135.0K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

1.85%

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

$23.5K RON 111.2K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

-5.14%

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

$170 RON 802

$153 RON 725

10.56%

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

$6.75 RON 31.94

$8.59 RON 40.64

-21.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.48 RON 40.12

$9.77 RON 46.24

-13.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.51 RON 182

$46.15 RON 218

-16.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 RON 75.9

$22.53 RON 107

-28.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 RON 37.48

$9.32 RON 44.09

-15.02%

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

$574 RON 2,718

$587 RON 2,780

-2.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,658 RON 41.0K

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-8.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 RON 347

$88.5 RON 419

-17.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.81 RON 188

$45.73 RON 216

-12.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 RON 367

$101 RON 479

-23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 RON 415

$108 RON 512

-18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$527 RON 2,494

$622 RON 2,941

-15.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 RON 1,666

$524 RON 2,480

-32.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 RON 3,897

$1,147 RON 5,429

-28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 RON 2,920

$806 RON 3,816

-23.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,554 RON 12.1K

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-45.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 RON 8,752

$3,348 RON 15.8K

-44.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,175 RON 5,557

$1,234 RON 5,837

-4.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

6.8

1.18%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$352 30.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 48.8% $172

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 14.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$185 16.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 7.1% $13

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 19.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 23.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$54 4.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 19.2% $10

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $527 in Timisoara and $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 5% 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: $47.00 in Timisoara vs $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $234 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

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

Timisoara Cluj-Napoca 210 km

From you

Timisoara
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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

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

Timisoara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $527 in Timisoara versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Timisoara runs roughly 9% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $574 in Timisoara versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,145 in Timisoara versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timisoara but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Timisoara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Timisoara 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, Timisoara 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 Timisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.