Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,251 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $1,251 in Iasi, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Iasi $1,251

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $1,834 in Iasi, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Iasi $1,834

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $2,417 in Iasi, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Iasi $2,417

Berlin costs about 103% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Berlin sits 90% above the global median, while Iasi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €14.99

$10.54 RON 50.2

59.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$41.58 RON 198

91.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.93

$6.96 RON 33.17

92.24%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$2.95 RON 14.07

44.75%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.29 RON 10.89

48.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.78 RON 8.46

75.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.06 RON 14.58

79.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$3.69 RON 17.59

23.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.50 RON 7.14

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.33 RON 6.34

84.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.98 RON 9.44

66.67%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.35 RON 15.95

32.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.25

$8.21 RON 39.11

108.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.87

$6.61 RON 31.52

84.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.32

$9.76 RON 46.50

87.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.37 RON 6.53

161.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.62 RON 7.74

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.66 RON 7.92

96.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$2.16 RON 10.28

76.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.84 RON 4.02

153.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.83 RON 3.95

166.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.11 RON 5.30

34.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.94 RON 4.46

7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.36

$6.26 RON 29.82

67.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$6.87 RON 32.76

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.31 RON 6.22

2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.06 RON 9.84

1.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.86 RON 4.08

408.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$27.82 RON 133

155.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$0.86 RON 4.12

515.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.85 RON 4.05

258.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.36

$8.30 RON 39.57

337.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.90 RON 9.08

20.00%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.5K RON 135.7K

16.74%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$27.3K RON 130.2K

42.98%

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

$379 €338

$183 RON 870

107.83%

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

$19.31 €17.22

$7.40 RON 35.28

160.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.17

$8.66 RON 41.28

459.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.94

$44.73 RON 213

-9.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.66

$15.73 RON 75.0

125.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.85

$8.15 RON 38.86

90.55%

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

$144 €128

$412 RON 1,962

-65.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$6,959 RON 33.2K

126.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.4

$73.9 RON 352

28.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.31

$39.35 RON 188

17.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$95.1 RON 453

8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$92.0 RON 438

53.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,327

$539 RON 2,567

176.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €979

$427 RON 2,036

157.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,376

$874 RON 4,163

205.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,855

$668 RON 3,185

211.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,648

$2,932 RON 14.0K

192.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,849

$1,910 RON 9,103

184.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,109

$1,117 RON 5,324

212.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

7.18

-47.08%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Iasi

$427 34.1% 61.1% $671

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Iasi

$199 15.9% 55.6% $248

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Iasi

$215 17.2% 38.7% $136

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Iasi

$180 14.3% 37.8% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Iasi

$135 10.8% 22.1% $38

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 66.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 14.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $539 in Iasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 212% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berlin versus $42.00 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $215 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

290,422

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Berlin Iasi 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

Berlin vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $1,876 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $1,251 in Iasi. That's a gap of about 103%.

Public transport costs about 155% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iasi, where all-in costs run around $1,251, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Iasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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