Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,242 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $975 per month in Barlad vs $1,242 in Iasi, rent included.

Barlad $975
Iasi $1,242

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $1,848 in Iasi, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Iasi $1,848

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $2,453 in Iasi, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Iasi $2,453

Barlad is about 22% cheaper than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barlad and Iasi are more affordable than the global median – Barlad 28% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$10.33 RON 48.87

-13.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$41.64 RON 197

-0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$6.99 RON 33.07

3.00%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$2.94 RON 13.90

-18.03%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$2.18 RON 10.31

-15.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$1.79 RON 8.45

-13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$3.08 RON 14.59

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$3.84 RON 18.18

-29.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.56 RON 7.40

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$1.39 RON 6.59

-19.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.98 RON 9.38

-29.29%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$3.29 RON 15.59

3.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$8.20 RON 38.81

-8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$6.38 RON 30.17

-18.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$9.72 RON 46.01

3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.39 RON 6.57

-25.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.69 RON 7.99

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.69 RON 7.98

-18.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$2.06 RON 9.73

-14.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.79 RON 3.72

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$0.90 RON 4.25

-14.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.16 RON 5.47

-27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$0.94 RON 4.46

-5.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$6.38 RON 30.18

4.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$6.64 RON 31.40

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.32 RON 6.23

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.06 RON 9.75

-21.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$0.86 RON 4.07

-40.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$27.33 RON 129

-27.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.88 RON 4.15

-18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$0.83 RON 3.92

-12.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$8.54 RON 40.38

-18.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.84 RON 8.72

-4.89%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$28.5K RON 134.7K

-6.97%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-4.80%

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

$158 RON 748

$183 RON 864

-13.47%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$7.45 RON 35.25

19.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$8.65 RON 40.94

-3.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$44.33 RON 210

-23.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$15.90 RON 75.2

13.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$8.47 RON 40.07

-21.96%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$420 RON 1,987

10.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$7,095 RON 33.6K

8.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$71.7 RON 339

-13.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$38.30 RON 181

-9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$92.1 RON 436

-21.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$90.2 RON 427

-4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$544 RON 2,576

-25.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$423 RON 1,999

-36.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$886 RON 4,190

-26.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$681 RON 3,222

-25.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$2,923 RON 13.8K

-39.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$1,900 RON 8,988

-33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 RON 5,222

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 Barlad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Iasi

$423 34% 57.3% $154

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Iasi

$215 17.3% 12.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Iasi

$199 16% 13.4% $23

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Iasi

$178 14.3% 17% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Iasi

$132 10.6% 14.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 29.7% $14

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 36.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad versus $544 in Iasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Barlad versus $42.00 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $215 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

Same time as Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

290,422

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barlad Iasi 100 km

From you

Barlad
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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

Barlad vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Barlad, $1,242 in Iasi – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad and $1,863 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barlad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $420 in Iasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Iasi at $1,242. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Iasi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,242 in Iasi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barlad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.