Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Craiova

For one person, living costs are similar in Timisoara and in Craiova: $1,197 and $1,217 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Craiova

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 Craiova actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,197 in Timisoara versus $1,217 in Craiova.

Timisoara $1,197
Craiova $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,776 in Timisoara versus $1,869 in Craiova.

Timisoara $1,776
Craiova $1,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,354 in Timisoara versus $2,520 in Craiova.

Timisoara $2,354
Craiova $2,520

Monthly costs are close between Timisoara and Craiova; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timisoara 12% lower, Craiova 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 RON 50.9

$7.14 RON 34.15

49.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.12 RON 221

$41.37 RON 198

11.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 RON 40.38

$7.45 RON 35.64

13.29%

Cappuccino

$3.02 RON 14.45

$2.71 RON 12.98

11.44%

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

$2.20 RON 10.54

$2.23 RON 10.65

-1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.85

$1.77 RON 8.46

-7.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.93

$2.24 RON 10.71

20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.63

$3.51 RON 16.80

16.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.57

$1.27 RON 6.09

7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 RON 5.74

$0.82 RON 3.93

46.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.60

$1.42 RON 6.77

-2.82%

Eggs

$2.92 RON 13.96

$3.26 RON 15.57

-10.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 RON 40.20

$7.21 RON 34.51

16.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 28.15

$6.47 RON 30.95

-9.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 RON 52.1

$11.49 RON 55.0

-5.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.50

$0.95 RON 4.53

21.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.98

$1.50 RON 7.16

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.70

$1.45 RON 6.94

-3.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.35

$1.80 RON 8.62

31.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$0.76 RON 3.65

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.60

$0.89 RON 4.28

7.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RON 3.06

$0.73 RON 3.51

-12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.77 RON 3.67

1.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 RON 29.89

$6.59 RON 31.51

-5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RON 35.72

$6.34 RON 30.33

17.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.43

$1.20 RON 5.76

-5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.37

$1.46 RON 7.00

19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.12

$0.88 RON 4.20

21.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.33 RON 159

$25.16 RON 120

32.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.04

$0.61 RON 2.93

37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$0.65 RON 3.09

33.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 RON 40.18

$6.37 RON 30.49

31.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.10

$1.90 RON 9.11

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

$28.9K RON 138.2K

$28.9K RON 138.1K

0.01%

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

$24.8K RON 118.4K

$25.8K RON 123.6K

-4.20%

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

$168 RON 803

$216 RON 1,036

-22.50%

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

$6.72 RON 32.15

$9.24 RON 44.23

-27.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.47 RON 40.52

$11.57 RON 55.4

-26.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.08 RON 192

$38.59 RON 185

3.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RON 74.9

$21.52 RON 103

-27.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 RON 37.61

$7.28 RON 34.81

7.97%

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

$583 RON 2,788

$411 RON 1,964

41.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,900 RON 42.6K

$8,047 RON 38.5K

10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 RON 362

$62.9 RON 301

20.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.89 RON 186

$50.6 RON 242

-23.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 RON 361

$82.8 RON 396

-8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 427

$103 RON 495

-13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 RON 2,716

$532 RON 2,544

6.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 RON 1,931

$418 RON 2,002

-3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 RON 3,836

$910 RON 4,352

-11.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 RON 2,868

$829 RON 3,966

-27.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 RON 12.7K

$2,703 RON 12.9K

-1.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,847 RON 8,837

$1,988 RON 9,509

-7.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,151 RON 5,508

$914 RON 4,374

25.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

6.84

0.58%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Craiova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$404 33.7%

Craiova

$418 34.4% 3.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$202 16.9%

Craiova

$194 16% 4% $8.1

Eating Out

Timisoara

$184 15.4%

Craiova

$146 12% 20.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.3%

Craiova

$237 19.5% 29.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$126 10.5%

Craiova

$135 11.1% 7.3% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$56 4.7%

Craiova

$53 4.4% 4.8% $2.7

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.6%

Craiova

$33 2.7% 24% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $568 in Timisoara and $532 in Craiova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Timisoara vs $41 in Craiova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $194 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

269,506

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Timisoara Craiova 260 km

From you

Timisoara
Craiova

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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 26% higher in Timisoara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $568 in Timisoara versus $532 in Craiova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $583 in Timisoara versus $411 in Craiova. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Craiova – a meal for two runs $41 versus $46 in Timisoara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Timisoara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Timisoara and Craiova are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.