Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Satu Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 a month against $1,158 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,158

/mo nomad

Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Satu Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,158 in Timisoara versus $930 in Satu Mare.

Timisoara $1,158
Satu Mare $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Timisoara versus $1,406 in Satu Mare.

Timisoara $1,757
Satu Mare $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,355 in Timisoara versus $1,883 in Satu Mare.

Timisoara $2,355
Satu Mare $1,883

Living in Timisoara is roughly 25% more expensive than in Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timisoara 15% lower, Satu Mare 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 RON 49.97

$8.20 RON 38.81

28.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.44 RON 215

$32.51 RON 154

39.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 RON 39.51

$6.48 RON 30.67

28.86%

Cappuccino

$2.93 RON 13.87

$2.50 RON 11.81

17.20%

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

$2.14 RON 10.11

$1.49 RON 7.04

43.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$1.28 RON 6.07

29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.77

$1.87 RON 8.87

44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.22

$2.44 RON 11.55

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.58

$1.13 RON 5.33

23.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 RON 5.71

$1.06 RON 5.04

14.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.31

$1.13 RON 5.36

17.70%

Eggs

$2.81 RON 13.32

$2.69 RON 12.71

4.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 RON 39.61

$7.35 RON 34.79

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 RON 28.81

$7.53 RON 35.63

-19.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 RON 52.2

$10.83 RON 51.2

1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.42

$1.10 RON 5.19

4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.86

$1.30 RON 6.15

11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.94

$1.28 RON 6.04

14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 RON 11.07

$1.43 RON 6.75

63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.50

$1.19 RON 5.61

-37.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$1.37 RON 6.48

-31.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.17

$0.88 RON 4.14

-23.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.71 RON 3.34

8.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 RON 29.17

$5.57 RON 26.38

10.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 RON 35.58

$6.19 RON 29.29

21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 RON 5.44

$1.23 RON 5.80

-6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.70 RON 8.06

3.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 RON 4.85

$0.54 RON 2.56

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.21 RON 162

$23.41 RON 111

46.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.80 RON 3.79

8.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.87

$0.85 RON 4.03

-3.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 RON 40.39

$8.10 RON 38.34

5.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RON 8.90

$1.58 RON 7.47

18.99%

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

$28.8K RON 136.3K

$22.8K RON 107.9K

26.37%

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

$24.7K RON 116.8K

$25.3K RON 119.5K

-2.29%

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

$168 RON 793

$126 RON 597

32.89%

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

$6.42 RON 30.37

$7.14 RON 33.79

-10.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.59 RON 40.62

$7.25 RON 34.30

18.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 RON 183

$41.55 RON 197

-6.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.71 RON 74.3

$10.68 RON 50.5

47.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.10

$6.19 RON 29.29

33.44%

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

$583 RON 2,757

$155 RON 733

276.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,838 RON 41.8K

$3,829 RON 18.1K

130.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 RON 349

$59.6 RON 282

23.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 RON 190

$28.51 RON 135

40.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 RON 360

$85.6 RON 405

-11.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 RON 419

$69.2 RON 328

27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 RON 2,528

$322 RON 1,524

65.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 RON 1,731

$260 RON 1,229

40.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 RON 3,987

$647 RON 3,060

30.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 RON 2,872

$410 RON 1,938

48.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,572 RON 12.2K

$1,007 RON 4,765

155.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,886 RON 8,924

$1,056 RON 4,995

78.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 RON 5,427

$650 RON 3,075

76.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

7.05

-2.41%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 17, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$366 31.6%

Satu Mare

$260 27.9% 29% $106

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.6%

Satu Mare

$195 21% 4.1% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.8%

Satu Mare

$141 15.1% 23% $42

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.7%

Satu Mare

$140 15.1% 22.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.8%

Satu Mare

$109 11.8% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$55 4.8%

Satu Mare

$54 5.8% 2.5% $1.4

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Satu Mare

$31 3.3% 29.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Timisoara and $322 in Satu Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 77% 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: $45.00 in Timisoara vs $33.00 in Satu Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $195 per month, with Satu Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

102,411

💱 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

Timisoara Satu Mare 260 km

From you

Timisoara
Satu Mare

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 Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Satu Mare wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Timisoara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Satu Mare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 77% 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: $534 in Timisoara versus $322 in Satu Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Satu Mare runs roughly 46% less than in Timisoara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $583 in Timisoara versus $155 in Satu Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $930 in Satu Mare versus $1,158 in Timisoara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Satu Mare but tight or insufficient in Timisoara. The gap between the two cities makes Satu Mare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Satu Mare delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $930 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Satu Mare hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Timisoara and Satu Mare 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 Satu Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Timisoara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.