Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Zărnești

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,158 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,158

/mo nomad

Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Zărnești

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,158 in Timisoara versus $889 in Zărnești.

Timisoara $1,158
Zărnești $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Timisoara versus $1,383 in Zărnești.

Timisoara $1,757
Zărnești $1,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,355 in Timisoara versus $1,877 in Zărnești.

Timisoara $2,355
Zărnești $1,877

Living in Timisoara is roughly 30% more expensive than in Zărnești, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timisoara 15% lower, Zărnești 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 RON 49.97

$9.00 RON 42.60

17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.44 RON 215

$42.40 RON 201

7.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 RON 39.51

$8.36 RON 39.57

-0.12%

Cappuccino

$2.93 RON 13.87

$2.18 RON 10.34

34.40%

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

$2.14 RON 10.11

$1.46 RON 6.90

46.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$1.20 RON 5.66

38.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.77

$1.90 RON 9.00

42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.22

$2.28 RON 10.79

87.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.58

$1.27 RON 6.02

9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 RON 5.71

$1.07 RON 5.06

13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.31

$1.44 RON 6.81

-7.64%

Eggs

$2.81 RON 13.32

$2.79 RON 13.20

0.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 RON 39.61

$7.89 RON 37.33

6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 RON 28.81

$4.74 RON 22.42

28.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 RON 52.2

$10.40 RON 49.21

5.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.42

$0.93 RON 4.41

23.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.86

$1.33 RON 6.30

9.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.94

$1.27 RON 6.02

15.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 RON 11.07

$1.28 RON 6.06

82.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.50

$0.78 RON 3.67

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$0.52 RON 2.45

80.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.17

$0.80 RON 3.80

-16.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.77 RON 3.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 RON 29.17

$5.15 RON 24.37

19.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 RON 35.58

$7.42 RON 35.09

1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 RON 5.44

$1.07 RON 5.08

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.29 RON 6.12

36.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 RON 4.85

$0.70 RON 3.32

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.21 RON 162

$21.32 RON 101

60.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.88 RON 4.15

-1.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.87

$0.86 RON 4.05

-4.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 RON 40.39

$7.45 RON 35.26

14.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RON 8.90

$1.51 RON 7.16

24.50%

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

$28.8K RON 136.3K

$28.5K RON 134.9K

1.04%

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

$24.7K RON 116.8K

$26.0K RON 122.9K

-4.99%

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

$168 RON 793

$99.0 RON 468

69.39%

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

$6.42 RON 30.37

$9.28 RON 43.89

-30.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.59 RON 40.62

$8.00 RON 37.86

7.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 RON 183

$37.82 RON 179

2.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.71 RON 74.3

$19.41 RON 91.9

-19.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.10

$6.24 RON 29.55

32.37%

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

$583 RON 2,757

$429 RON 2,031

35.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,838 RON 41.8K

$7,733 RON 36.6K

14.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 RON 349

$44.43 RON 210

65.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 RON 190

$27.26 RON 129

47.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 RON 360

$68.9 RON 326

10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 RON 419

$76.8 RON 363

15.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 RON 2,528

$434 RON 2,054

23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 RON 1,731

$266 RON 1,258

37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 RON 3,987

$576 RON 2,727

46.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 RON 2,872

$424 RON 2,008

43.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,572 RON 12.2K

$1,751 RON 8,283

46.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,886 RON 8,924

$1,329 RON 6,288

41.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 RON 5,427

$510 RON 2,415

124.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

7.47

-7.90%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$366 31.6%

Zărnești

$266 29.9% 27.3% $100

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.6%

Zărnești

$182 20.4% 10.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.8%

Zărnești

$116 13.1% 36.4% $66

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.7%

Zărnești

$148 16.7% 18.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.8%

Zărnești

$98 11% 22% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$55 4.8%

Zărnești

$50 5.7% 9% $5

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Zărnești

$29 3.3% 32.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Timisoara and $434 in Zărnești. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 125% 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 $42.00 in Zărnești for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $182 per month, with Zărnești cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

24,926

💱 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 Zărnești 320 km

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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 Zărnești: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara and Zărnești differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,158 vs $889 including rent). Zărnești is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 125% 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 $434 in Zărnești. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zărnești – a meal for two runs $42.00 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 $889 in Zărnești – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $889 in Zărnești versus $1,158 in Timisoara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zărnești but tight or insufficient in Timisoara. The gap between the two cities makes Zărnești 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 Zărnești 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 Zărnești gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Timisoara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.