Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcea and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index
68

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

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Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $986 in Tulcea versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Tulcea $986
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,559 in Tulcea versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Tulcea $1,559
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,132 in Tulcea versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Tulcea $2,132
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Tulcea costs roughly 31% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tulcea is 28% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.70 RON 56.2

$12.58 RON 60.5

-7.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 RON 223

$54.8 RON 263

-15.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 RON 37.83

$9.59 RON 46.11

-17.94%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.93

$3.78 RON 18.15

-45.24%

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

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.30 RON 11.07

-7.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$2.22 RON 10.68

-52.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$3.32 RON 15.94

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.81

$4.20 RON 20.17

-51.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 RON 7.75

$1.60 RON 7.70

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RON 4.99

$1.44 RON 6.93

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$1.69 RON 8.14

-14.79%

Eggs

$3.16 RON 15.17

$3.76 RON 18.05

-15.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 36.11

$9.07 RON 43.57

-17.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 RON 33.10

$7.14 RON 34.30

-3.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 RON 43.73

$11.46 RON 55.1

-20.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.48

$1.39 RON 6.66

-2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$1.58 RON 7.60

3.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.84

$1.88 RON 9.04

-24.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 RON 9.59

$2.37 RON 11.38

-16.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$0.92 RON 4.43

-19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$0.90 RON 4.32

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.24

$0.90 RON 4.34

-25.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$1.01 RON 4.84

-23.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.87

$6.42 RON 30.86

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.44

$7.41 RON 35.62

-14.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.83

$1.25 RON 5.98

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$1.73 RON 8.31

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$0.76 RON 3.65

40.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 RON 85.8

$44.23 RON 213

-59.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.09

$0.84 RON 4.01

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$0.96 RON 4.62

-35.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.57

$8.27 RON 39.74

-23.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$1.94 RON 9.32

-10.31%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$28.3K RON 136.1K

-0.75%

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

$24.9K RON 119.6K

$24.7K RON 118.9K

0.62%

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

$134 RON 643

$151 RON 725

-11.30%

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

$7.76 RON 37.29

$8.44 RON 40.55

-8.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.60 RON 41.32

$9.16 RON 44.04

-6.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 RON 151

$47.36 RON 228

-33.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 RON 79.8

$22.01 RON 106

-24.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RON 40.00

$9.35 RON 44.95

-11.02%

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

$319 RON 1,532

$577 RON 2,774

-44.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,187 RON 15.3K

$9,450 RON 45.4K

-66.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 250

$87.1 RON 419

-40.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 RON 152

$44.26 RON 213

-28.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 RON 438

$98.8 RON 475

-7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 RON 460

$107 RON 513

-10.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 RON 1,650

$668 RON 3,212

-48.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 RON 1,315

$536 RON 2,575

-48.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,813

$1,227 RON 5,895

-52.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 RON 2,397

$807 RON 3,881

-38.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 RON 4,759

$4,568 RON 22.0K

-78.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$856 RON 4,112

$3,342 RON 16.1K

-74.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 RON 3,115

$1,241 RON 5,962

-47.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.65

3.01%

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

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulcea

$274 27.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 95.8% $262

Groceries & Markets

Tulcea

$197 20%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 16.5% $33

Eating Out

Tulcea

$169 17.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 28.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcea

$150 15.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 12.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcea

$122 12.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 24.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcea

$48 4.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 37.2% $18

Getting Around

Tulcea

$26 2.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 105% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Tulcea and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 91% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Tulcea vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $230 per month, with Tulcea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

Same time as Tulcea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,707

324,576

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tulcea Cluj-Napoca 440 km

From you

Tulcea
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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

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

Tulcea is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Tulcea. 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: $343 in Tulcea versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tulcea runs roughly 60% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $319 in Tulcea versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $986 in Tulcea versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea 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, Tulcea 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 Tulcea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.