Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zilina and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Zilina: $1,384 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Cluj-Napoca despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Zilina
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Zilina Living Index
68

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

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Zilina

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,384

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,384 in Zilina versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Zilina $1,384
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Zilina versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Zilina $2,054
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,724 in Zilina versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Zilina $2,724
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Zilina costs roughly 3% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zilina 2% above, Cluj-Napoca 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 €9.09

$12.58 RON 59.9

-19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.32

$54.8 RON 261

0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.08

$9.59 RON 45.71

-17.31%

Cappuccino

$2.46 €2.19

$3.78 RON 17.99

-34.92%

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

$1.75 €1.56

$2.30 RON 10.98

-23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.29

$2.22 RON 10.59

-35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.32 RON 15.80

-31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$4.20 RON 20.00

-45.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.60 RON 7.64

-34.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.44 RON 6.87

-3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.69 RON 8.07

15.38%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.40

$3.76 RON 17.89

1.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 €11.39

$9.07 RON 43.20

40.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 €6.44

$7.14 RON 34.01

0.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.38 €11.04

$11.46 RON 54.6

8.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.39 RON 6.60

19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.58 RON 7.53

28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.88 RON 8.97

28.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 €3.94

$2.37 RON 11.28

86.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.92 RON 4.39

46.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.90 RON 4.28

68.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.49

$0.90 RON 4.31

85.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.01 RON 4.79

-17.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 €5.57

$6.42 RON 30.59

-2.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.13

$7.41 RON 35.31

-22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.25 RON 5.93

-19.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.73 RON 8.24

-16.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.76 RON 3.61

51.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.09 €19.71

$44.23 RON 211

-50.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.84 RON 3.98

102.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.96 RON 4.58

14.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.95 €19.58

$8.27 RON 39.39

165.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.94 RON 9.24

-8.76%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$28.3K RON 135.0K

-12.27%

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

$26.5K €23.7K

$24.7K RON 117.9K

7.22%

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

$235 €210

$151 RON 719

55.69%

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

$19.04 €16.99

$8.44 RON 40.20

125.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.11 €17.94

$9.16 RON 43.66

119.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.47 €32.54

$47.36 RON 226

-22.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 €10.12

$22.01 RON 105

-48.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 €8.41

$9.35 RON 44.57

0.86%

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

$414 €369

$577 RON 2,750

-28.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,597 €5,886

$9,450 RON 45.0K

-30.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 €58.2

$87.1 RON 415

-25.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.10 €25.07

$44.26 RON 211

-36.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 €72.4

$98.8 RON 471

-17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 €84.4

$107 RON 509

-11.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 €525

$668 RON 3,184

-11.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 €430

$536 RON 2,552

-10.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 €817

$1,227 RON 5,844

-25.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 €682

$807 RON 3,847

-5.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,388 €3,023

$4,568 RON 21.8K

-25.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,900 €2,587

$3,342 RON 15.9K

-13.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,391 €1,241

$1,241 RON 5,911

12.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.65

-43.01%

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

Last update for Zilina: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zilina

$482 34.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 11.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zilina

$274 19.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 38.5% $106

Groceries & Markets

Zilina

$254 18.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 9.5% $24

Eating Out

Zilina

$163 11.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 33.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Zilina

$121 8.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 25.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Zilina

$55 4%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 19.4% $11

Getting Around

Zilina

$34 2.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 56.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Zilina and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zilina pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Zilina vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $230, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Zilina

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

1 h ahead of Zilina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,494

324,576

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

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

Zilina is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Zilina, 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: $589 in Zilina versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $414 in Zilina versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Zilina runs roughly 50% less than in Cluj-Napoca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Zilina gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Zilina 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, Zilina and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.