Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botosani and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $895 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 Botosani
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Botosani Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$895

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Botosani versus $1,256 in Iasi.

Botosani $895
Iasi $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,321 in Botosani versus $1,841 in Iasi.

Botosani $1,321
Iasi $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,747 in Botosani versus $2,425 in Iasi.

Botosani $1,747
Iasi $2,425

Living in Botosani costs roughly 29% less than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 RON 43.47

$10.50 RON 50.5

-13.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 RON 134

$42.22 RON 203

-34.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 RON 34.69

$7.18 RON 34.49

0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.27 RON 10.93

$2.95 RON 14.19

-23.05%

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

$1.38 RON 6.65

$2.28 RON 10.95

-39.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 RON 5.68

$1.78 RON 8.54

-33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.16

$3.20 RON 15.37

-40.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 11.11

$3.84 RON 18.44

-39.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.67

$1.55 RON 7.45

-10.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.13

$1.31 RON 6.31

-18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 RON 7.02

$1.97 RON 9.49

-25.89%

Eggs

$2.90 RON 13.96

$3.25 RON 15.64

-10.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.92 RON 33.25

$8.23 RON 39.57

-15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 RON 28.42

$6.59 RON 31.66

-10.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.66

$10.07 RON 48.38

-9.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.80

$1.31 RON 6.29

-23.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.25

$1.62 RON 7.77

-19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$1.68 RON 8.05

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 RON 8.92

$2.12 RON 10.20

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$0.86 RON 4.12

-10.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 RON 2.58

$0.82 RON 3.96

-34.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$1.10 RON 5.30

-26.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RON 3.40

$0.94 RON 4.51

-24.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 RON 28.51

$6.11 RON 29.38

-2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 RON 30.75

$6.64 RON 31.92

-3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.97

$1.34 RON 6.43

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.64

$2.12 RON 10.17

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.61

$0.85 RON 4.09

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.58 RON 142

$27.49 RON 132

7.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 RON 3.38

$0.80 RON 3.85

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$0.87 RON 4.18

-17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.30 RON 35.08

$8.14 RON 39.10

-10.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 RON 8.50

$1.92 RON 9.24

-7.81%

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

$26.3K RON 126.6K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

-7.87%

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

$25.5K RON 122.6K

$25.8K RON 124.2K

-1.27%

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

$98.7 RON 474

$181 RON 870

-45.52%

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

$7.45 RON 35.83

$7.28 RON 35.01

2.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.29 RON 39.84

$8.20 RON 39.41

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.75 RON 148

$43.94 RON 211

-30.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 RON 112

$15.95 RON 76.7

45.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 RON 25.46

$8.58 RON 41.24

-38.23%

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

$315 RON 1,513

$385 RON 1,853

-18.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.88 RON 220

$73.6 RON 354

-37.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.22 RON 145

$38.25 RON 184

-20.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 RON 300

$92.0 RON 442

-32.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 RON 320

$89.0 RON 428

-25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 RON 1,877

$542 RON 2,607

-28.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 RON 1,347

$435 RON 2,090

-35.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 RON 2,583

$836 RON 4,020

-35.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 RON 1,820

$645 RON 3,100

-41.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,367 RON 6,571

$2,797 RON 13.4K

-51.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,010 RON 4,853

$1,907 RON 9,166

-47.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 RON 4,681

$1,130 RON 5,429

-13.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

7.18

-8.50%

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

Last update for Botosani: October 26, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botosani

$280 31.3%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 55.2% $155

Groceries & Markets

Botosani

$184 20.5%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 17.1% $31

Eating Out

Botosani

$146 16.3%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 24.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botosani

$114 12.8%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 71.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Botosani

$92 10.3%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 42.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Botosani

$41 4.6%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 47.8% $20

Getting Around

Botosani

$37 4.1%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 2.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $391 in Botosani and $542 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 16% 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: $28 in Botosani vs $42 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $215 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Botosani

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Botosani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,847

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

Botosani Iasi 95 km

From you

Botosani
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

Botosani vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $895 in Botosani and $1,256 in Iasi, so Botosani is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Botosani. 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: $391 in Botosani versus $542 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $315 in Botosani versus $385 in Iasi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Iasi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Botosani versus $1,256 in Iasi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Iasi. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Botosani and Iasi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Botosani wins on affordability, Iasi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.