Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zărnești and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index
68

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

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Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Zărnești versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca.

Zărnești $889
Cluj-Napoca $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,383 in Zărnești versus $2,122 in Cluj-Napoca.

Zărnești $1,383
Cluj-Napoca $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,877 in Zărnești versus $2,831 in Cluj-Napoca.

Zărnești $1,877
Cluj-Napoca $2,831

Living in Zărnești costs roughly 37% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zărnești is 34% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 RON 42.60

$12.53 RON 59.3

-28.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.40 RON 201

$54.5 RON 258

-22.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 RON 39.57

$9.73 RON 46.01

-14.08%

Cappuccino

$2.18 RON 10.34

$3.68 RON 17.42

-40.76%

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

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.31 RON 10.92

-36.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$2.31 RON 10.93

-48.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$3.22 RON 15.24

-40.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RON 10.79

$4.26 RON 20.14

-46.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.63 RON 7.69

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.43 RON 6.78

-25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.81

$1.82 RON 8.63

-20.88%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.20

$3.82 RON 18.08

-26.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 RON 37.33

$9.16 RON 43.34

-13.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 RON 22.42

$7.08 RON 33.50

-33.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 RON 49.21

$11.76 RON 55.7

-11.56%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.41

$1.40 RON 6.64

-33.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.30

$1.70 RON 8.03

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.89 RON 8.96

-32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$2.42 RON 11.43

-47.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.92 RON 4.36

-15.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$0.88 RON 4.15

-40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.97 RON 4.59

-17.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.97 RON 4.61

-20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 RON 24.37

$6.21 RON 29.39

-17.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.09

$7.54 RON 35.66

-1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.08

$1.26 RON 5.96

-15.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.12

$1.70 RON 8.05

-24.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

$0.72 RON 3.42

-2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 RON 101

$31.02 RON 147

-31.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.88 RON 4.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$0.93 RON 4.40

-7.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 RON 35.26

$8.51 RON 40.26

-12.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 RON 7.16

$1.92 RON 9.08

-21.35%

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

$28.5K RON 134.9K

$28.9K RON 136.7K

-1.35%

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

$26.0K RON 122.9K

$24.4K RON 115.2K

6.65%

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

$99.0 RON 468

$156 RON 739

-36.64%

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

$9.28 RON 43.89

$8.74 RON 41.34

6.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.00 RON 37.86

$9.61 RON 45.46

-16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 RON 179

$46.29 RON 219

-18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 RON 91.9

$21.98 RON 104

-11.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 RON 29.55

$9.27 RON 43.87

-32.69%

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

$429 RON 2,031

$587 RON 2,775

-26.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,733 RON 36.6K

$9,749 RON 46.1K

-20.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 RON 210

$90.1 RON 426

-50.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.26 RON 129

$46.13 RON 218

-40.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 RON 326

$98.2 RON 465

-29.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 RON 363

$110 RON 522

-30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 RON 2,054

$623 RON 2,950

-30.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 RON 1,258

$529 RON 2,502

-49.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 RON 2,727

$1,143 RON 5,407

-49.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 RON 2,008

$820 RON 3,881

-48.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 RON 8,283

$4,578 RON 21.7K

-61.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,288

$3,358 RON 15.9K

-60.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 RON 2,415

$1,261 RON 5,964

-59.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

6.65

12.33%

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

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zărnești

$266 29.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$529 37.5% 98.9% $263

Groceries & Markets

Zărnești

$182 20.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$233 16.5% 28.3% $51

Eating Out

Zărnești

$148 16.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$217 15.3% 46.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zărnești

$116 13.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.4% 50.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Zărnești

$98 11%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 58.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Zărnești

$50 5.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 28.9% $15

Getting Around

Zărnești

$29 3.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 34.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $434 in Zărnești and $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 147% 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: $42.00 in Zărnești vs $54.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $233 per month, with Zărnești cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

Same time as Zărnești

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,926

324,576

💱 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

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Zărnești Cluj-Napoca 190 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

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

Zărnești is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 147% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $434 in Zărnești versus $623 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zărnești runs roughly 45% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $429 in Zărnești versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $889 in Zărnești versus $1,413 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zărnești but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Zărnești the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zărnești is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zărnești 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 Zărnești gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.