Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,251 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Iasi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,251 in Iasi.

Austin, TX $2,704
Iasi $1,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,834 in Iasi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Iasi $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,417 in Iasi.

Austin, TX $5,562
Iasi $2,417

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 116% more expensive than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Iasi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.54 RON 50.2

91.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$41.58 RON 198

104.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.96 RON 33.17

77.44%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.95 RON 14.07

85.42%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.29 RON 10.89

66.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.78 RON 8.46

40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.06 RON 14.58

163.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.69 RON 17.59

143.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.50 RON 7.14

-24.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.33 RON 6.34

184.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.98 RON 9.44

64.14%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.35 RON 15.95

23.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.21 RON 39.11

59.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$6.61 RON 31.52

116.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.76 RON 46.50

63.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.37 RON 6.53

219.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.62 RON 7.74

-10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.66 RON 7.92

173.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.16 RON 10.28

93.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.84 RON 4.02

213.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.83 RON 3.95

184.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.11 RON 5.30

58.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.94 RON 4.46

129.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$6.26 RON 29.82

56.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.87 RON 32.76

114.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.31 RON 6.22

112.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.06 RON 9.84

68.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.86 RON 4.08

73.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$27.82 RON 133

45.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.86 RON 4.12

210.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.85 RON 4.05

85.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.30 RON 39.57

325.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.90 RON 9.08

-47.89%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.5K RON 135.7K

25.75%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$27.3K RON 130.2K

-0.50%

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

$219 $219

$183 RON 870

20.13%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$7.40 RON 35.28

683.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$8.66 RON 41.28

689.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$44.73 RON 213

29.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$15.73 RON 75.0

-5.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.15 RON 38.86

73.37%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$412 RON 1,962

266.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,959 RON 33.2K

208.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$73.9 RON 352

-30.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$39.35 RON 188

11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$95.1 RON 453

-10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$92.0 RON 438

14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$539 RON 2,567

258.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$427 RON 2,036

197.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$874 RON 4,163

320.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$668 RON 3,185

277.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,932 RON 14.0K

159.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,910 RON 9,103

67.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,117 RON 5,324

356.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.18

-5.43%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Iasi

$427 34.1% 66.4% $845

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Iasi

$215 17.2% 46.7% $188

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Iasi

$180 14.3% 48.4% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Iasi

$199 15.9% 42.5% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Iasi

$135 10.8% 5% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 29.2% $25

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 36.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $539 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 357% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $42.00 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $215 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

290,422

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Iasi 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iasi wins on cost – living expenses run 116% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Iasi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 357% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $539 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,251 in Iasi – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Iasi runs roughly 46% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,251 in Iasi versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iasi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Iasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Iasi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,251 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Iasi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX 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 Iasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.