🇷🇴 Romania · A realistic 2026 budget for newcomers — rent, food, transport, and what a month actually costs.
Wondering how far your salary goes in Cluj-Napoca? Here’s what everyday life costs, in local prices — the numbers that matter when you’re deciding to move or negotiating a package.
What things cost
One-bed flat, central (Centru, Andrei Mureșanu, Grigorescu)RON 3,200–5,000 / month
One-bed flat, outer districts or FloreștiRON 2,000–3,000 / month
Utilities and gigabit internet, one personRON 450–900 / month, higher in winter
Groceries, one personRON 1,200–1,900 / month
CTP Cluj monthly pass, all linesRON 80–130 / month depending on category
Good to know
Population
≈290,000 registered in the city; roughly 410,000 across the metropolitan area, plus around 100,000 students in term time
Administration
A single municipality with one city hall and one local tax office — no sector system, unlike Bucharest
Languages
Romanian, with Hungarian spoken by around a sixth of the population and bilingual signage in the centre. English is very widely spoken in the tech sector
Currency
Romanian leu (RON). Romania has not adopted the euro and has no target date in force
Schengen
Full Schengen member since 1 January 2025 — Cluj airport is Romania's second busiest and now handles Schengen flights without border checks
Time zone
EET (GMT+2), EEST (GMT+3) in summer
Power plug
Type C and F, 230 V, 50 Hz
Transport
Buses and trolleybuses run by CTP Cluj with contactless payment; Romania's second metro is under construction toward Florești
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.
A note on budgeting
Rent is usually the swing factor — location and whether bills are included move the number most. Build your estimate from the rent band above, add a monthly living figure, and keep a buffer for one-off setup costs (deposits, a residence permit, a local SIM, first-month transport). Globe Quest turns this into a personalized Cluj-Napoca checklist so nothing setup-related catches you off guard.
Plan your move to Cluj-Napoca
A free, AI-personalized plan — the language, culture, and setup steps timed to your move date.