Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Zalau

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalau: $871 a month against $1,158 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
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Zalau Living Index

Jump to prices

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,158

/mo nomad

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Zalau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,158 in Timisoara versus $871 in Zalau.

Timisoara $1,158
Zalau $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Timisoara versus $1,327 in Zalau.

Timisoara $1,757
Zalau $1,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,355 in Timisoara versus $1,783 in Zalau.

Timisoara $2,355
Zalau $1,783

Living in Timisoara is roughly 33% more expensive than in Zalau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timisoara 15% lower, Zalau 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 RON 49.97

$7.52 RON 35.59

40.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.44 RON 215

$35.18 RON 166

29.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 RON 39.51

$5.25 RON 24.83

59.05%

Cappuccino

$2.93 RON 13.87

$2.18 RON 10.30

34.40%

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

$2.14 RON 10.11

$1.49 RON 7.07

43.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$1.24 RON 5.86

33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.77

$1.87 RON 8.83

44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.22

$2.37 RON 11.19

80.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.58

$1.38 RON 6.53

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 RON 5.71

$1.13 RON 5.34

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.31

$1.23 RON 5.84

8.13%

Eggs

$2.81 RON 13.32

$1.97 RON 9.31

42.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 RON 39.61

$7.88 RON 37.28

6.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 RON 28.81

$5.50 RON 26.01

10.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 RON 52.2

$10.45 RON 49.45

5.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.42

$0.80 RON 3.79

43.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.86

$1.29 RON 6.09

12.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.94

$1.44 RON 6.83

2.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 RON 11.07

$1.89 RON 8.96

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.50

$0.66 RON 3.13

12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$0.56 RON 2.63

67.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.17

$0.61 RON 2.89

9.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.73 RON 3.44

5.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 RON 29.17

$4.94 RON 23.39

24.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 RON 35.58

$5.20 RON 24.59

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 RON 5.44

$1.07 RON 5.06

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.14 RON 5.40

54.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 RON 4.85

$0.81 RON 3.84

25.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.21 RON 162

$21.39 RON 101

59.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.82 RON 3.89

6.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.87

$0.82 RON 3.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 RON 40.39

$7.61 RON 36.03

12.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RON 8.90

$1.50 RON 7.08

25.33%

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

$28.8K RON 136.3K

$28.5K RON 135.0K

0.95%

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

$24.7K RON 116.8K

$25.7K RON 121.8K

-4.14%

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

$168 RON 793

$102 RON 481

64.73%

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

$6.42 RON 30.37

$4.27 RON 20.22

50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.59 RON 40.62

$6.29 RON 29.74

36.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 RON 183

$33.09 RON 157

17.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.71 RON 74.3

$21.48 RON 102

-26.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.10

$5.38 RON 25.46

53.53%

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

$583 RON 2,757

$420 RON 1,985

38.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,838 RON 41.8K

$7,019 RON 33.2K

25.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 RON 349

$52.5 RON 248

40.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 RON 190

$30.12 RON 143

33.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 RON 360

$56.8 RON 269

34.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 RON 419

$62.1 RON 294

42.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 RON 2,528

$383 RON 1,812

39.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 RON 1,731

$288 RON 1,362

27.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 RON 3,987

$586 RON 2,772

43.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 RON 2,872

$445 RON 2,104

36.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,572 RON 12.2K

$1,818 RON 8,602

41.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,886 RON 8,924

$1,323 RON 6,257

42.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 RON 5,427

$621 RON 2,936

84.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

6.85

0.44%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zalau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$366 31.6%

Zalau

$288 33.1% 21.3% $78

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.6%

Zalau

$180 20.6% 11.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.8%

Zalau

$112 12.9% 38.5% $70

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.7%

Zalau

$127 14.6% 30.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.8%

Zalau

$91 10.4% 27.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$55 4.8%

Zalau

$44 5% 20.7% $11

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Zalau

$30 3.4% 31.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Timisoara and $383 in Zalau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 85% 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 $35.00 in Zalau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $180 per month, with Zalau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Zalau

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

56,202

💱 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 Zalau 210 km

From you

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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 Zalau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara and Zalau differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,158 vs $871 including rent). Zalau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $383 in Zalau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zalau – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $45.00 in Timisoara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,158 per month in Timisoara versus $871 in Zalau – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $871 in Zalau versus $1,158 in Timisoara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zalau but tight or insufficient in Timisoara. The gap between the two cities makes Zalau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Zalau 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 Zalau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Timisoara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.