For a family of two adults and a three-year-old child, life in Cluj-Napoca costs about 2140 euros per month. The budget includes apartment rent, utilities, supermarket purchases, transport, medicines, short trips, and other everyday expenses. A Ukrainian woman named Oksana, who lives in Romania, shared her calculations in a video on YouTube.
Cluj-Napoca is often called one of the most expensive cities in Romania. This is especially noticeable in the prices for rent, private kindergartens, cafes, and services related to manual labor.
How much a family pays for housing and groceries in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Renting a three-room apartment with a small yard costs 550 euros per month. By local standards, this is a good price: after viewing the property, Romanian acquaintances told the family that finding a similar option in Cluj-Napoca for that money is not easy.
In winter, together with utilities, apartment expenses rise to about 800 euros. In summer, they decrease by about 70 euros and amount to about 730 euros.
The apartment has gas heating, and gas is also used to heat water. In summer, the bill is about 98 lei, or 20 euros. In winter, expenses increase to 468 lei, which corresponds to about 95 euros.
The family pays about 350 lei, or 70 euros, for electricity. Both adults work from home, so computers, lighting, and household appliances are used almost all day.
Another 445 lei, or about 87 euros, goes to water, sewage, and maintenance of the adjacent area. The cost of home internet was not included in the final budget because the blogger's husband pays for it, and she did not specify the exact amount.
The family spends about 4000 lei, or 785 euros per month, on groceries, household chemicals, and other goods from the hypermarket. Previously, this amount also included diapers for the child.
According to the Ukrainian woman, food prices in Romania do not look significantly higher than in Ukraine. Some products cost more, while others can be bought cheaper. However, over the past year, prices in Romanian stores have also increased.
Total expenses exceed 2000 euros per month in Romania
The family rarely visits cafes and other establishments, since service in Cluj-Napoca is expensive. They budget up to 100 euros per month for such visits. For example, two buns and two coffees can cost about 500 hryvnias.
Additional monthly expenses are as follows:
about 60 euros for fuel;
approximately 40 euros for medicines;
40 euros for mobile communications and digital subscriptions;
about 10 euros for public transport;
approximately 200 euros for trips around Transylvania;
about 100 euros for clothes, toys, and other purchases.
The family rarely uses public transport because the parents work from home and the main places are nearby. One trip on a city bus costs about 3.5 lei.
Without travel, clothes, and some irregular purchases, basic expenses amount to about 1840 euros per month. After adding weekend trips and children's items, the total budget increases to 2140 euros.
Expenses can significantly increase after the child starts attending a private kindergarten. In Cluj-Napoca, such a kindergarten costs on average about 550 euros per month, including meals and additional classes.
Some institutions state a lower base price, but charge separately for meals, English, music, theater performances, and other activities. As a result, the final cost still approaches 520–600 euros.
After including a private kindergarten, the family will need about 2690 euros monthly. This amount does not include internet, large purchases, medical expenses beyond the usual level, and other unforeseen spending.
There are also free state kindergartens in the city. However, due to the large number of people wishing to get a place in such an institution, it is significantly more difficult in Cluj-Napoca than in small towns.