Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca?

Hello Dennis,

As most people would tell you, both cities have their ups and downs. Both cities have a hectic life in terms of business, traffic and lifestyle

I'll try to give you some heads up:

Weather
Humidity tends to be slightly greater in Bucharest, resulting in hot and rainy summers and windy winters. However differences are not that visible as statistics tend to point. What you should note is that Bucharest is located within the Romanian plain and it tends to get more windy and cold within the winter. So, I would say that the weather is more stable in Cluj.

Costs
As far as the costs, recently rent got slightly pricier in Cluj compared to Bucharest because of the lack of enough spaces to accommodate new people moving in. Instead, Cluj has the advantage of smaller distances which cuts off a lot of the costs of transport.

Traffic
Traffic is messy in both cities. While Cluj has less cars driving through when compared with Bucharest, the latter has wider boulevards. At the end of the day, traveling within rush hours can be frustrating. Bucharest has a metro system, while Cluj has a quite punctual tram/bus system and more dedicated bus lanes.

Lifestyle
Both cities have a lively lifestyle with diverse bars, pubs, shopping malls and entertainment venues. Cluj hosts many sports competitions (both national and international) because it has a slightly better sports infrastructure and also hosts the two largest music festivals in Romania (both in the summer: Electric Castle and Untold). Recently they named Cluj the European Youth Capital which boosted the cultural scene of the city.

Food
Prices are generally lower than in Western countries in both cities. While grocery is basically same cost in both cities, eating in a restaurant can result in higher (but generally affordable) prices in Bucharest. It really much depends on the cuisine and your tastes.

Not much, but at least a starting point. If you have other questions feel free to write me a message,

Regards,