Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alba Iulia and in Iasi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alba Iulia and in Iasi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,256 in Iasi.

Alba Iulia $901
Iasi $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Alba Iulia versus $1,841 in Iasi.

Alba Iulia $1,378
Iasi $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Alba Iulia versus $2,425 in Iasi.

Alba Iulia $1,855
Iasi $2,425

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 28% less than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Alba Iulia 34% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 RON 41.32

$10.50 RON 50.5

-18.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RON 149

$42.22 RON 203

-26.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 RON 28.25

$7.18 RON 34.49

-18.11%

Cappuccino

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.95 RON 14.19

-22.71%

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

$1.75 RON 8.43

$2.28 RON 10.95

-23.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 RON 7.13

$1.78 RON 8.54

-16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 RON 9.45

$3.20 RON 15.37

-38.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.79

$3.84 RON 18.44

-46.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.91

$1.55 RON 7.45

-20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.20

$1.31 RON 6.31

-17.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.86

$1.97 RON 9.49

-27.41%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.93

$3.25 RON 15.64

-17.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 36.17

$8.23 RON 39.57

-8.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 RON 28.97

$6.59 RON 31.66

-8.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.9

$10.07 RON 48.38

7.25%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.44

$1.31 RON 6.29

-29.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$1.62 RON 7.77

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.06

$1.68 RON 8.05

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 RON 11.20

$2.12 RON 10.20

9.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.44

$0.86 RON 4.12

-16.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 RON 2.83

$0.82 RON 3.96

-28.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$1.10 RON 5.30

-20.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.94 RON 4.51

-35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 RON 24.88

$6.11 RON 29.38

-15.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.56

$6.64 RON 31.92

-35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.36

$1.34 RON 6.43

-16.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.11

$2.12 RON 10.17

-40.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.60

$0.85 RON 4.09

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 81.6

$27.49 RON 132

-38.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.06

$0.80 RON 3.85

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 3.03

$0.87 RON 4.18

-27.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 RON 21.46

$8.14 RON 39.10

-45.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.20

$1.92 RON 9.24

-21.87%

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

$28.8K RON 138.4K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

0.70%

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

$23.7K RON 114.1K

$25.8K RON 124.2K

-8.15%

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

$125 RON 598

$181 RON 870

-31.24%

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

$7.31 RON 35.12

$7.28 RON 35.01

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 RON 43.29

$8.20 RON 39.41

9.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 RON 142

$43.94 RON 211

-32.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 148

$15.95 RON 76.7

93.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 RON 24.44

$8.58 RON 41.24

-40.68%

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

$435 RON 2,092

$385 RON 1,853

12.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,969 RON 33.5K

$6,965 RON 33.5K

0.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.02 RON 183

$73.6 RON 354

-48.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.94 RON 115

$38.25 RON 184

-37.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 RON 355

$92.0 RON 442

-19.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 RON 297

$89.0 RON 428

-30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,422

$542 RON 2,607

-45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,360

$435 RON 2,090

-34.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 RON 2,941

$836 RON 4,020

-26.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,298

$645 RON 3,100

-25.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 RON 7,894

$2,797 RON 13.4K

-41.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,401 RON 6,732

$1,907 RON 9,166

-26.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 RON 4,340

$1,130 RON 5,429

-20.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

7.18

-2.92%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 53.7% $152

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 16.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 39.6% $56

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 28.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 48.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 53.8% $21

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 51.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Alba Iulia and $542 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 25% 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: $31 in Alba Iulia vs $42 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $215 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

Same time as Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

290,422

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alba Iulia Iasi 330 km

From you

Alba Iulia
Iasi

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

Alba Iulia vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Alba Iulia. 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: $296 in Alba Iulia versus $542 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $901 per month in Alba Iulia versus $1,256 in Iasi – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 38% less than in Iasi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,256 in Iasi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Iasi. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Safety-wise, Alba Iulia and Iasi 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.