Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasov and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,247 a month against $1,310 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,310

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,247

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in Brasov versus $1,247 in Iasi.

Brasov $1,310
Iasi $1,247

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,115 in Brasov versus $1,839 in Iasi.

Brasov $2,115
Iasi $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Brasov versus $2,431 in Iasi.

Brasov $2,920
Iasi $2,431

Living in Brasov is roughly 5% more expensive than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasov 3% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 RON 51.6

$10.43 RON 49.33

4.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 RON 249

$41.89 RON 198

25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 RON 35.42

$6.81 RON 32.22

9.99%

Cappuccino

$3.58 RON 16.93

$2.86 RON 13.55

25.17%

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

$2.42 RON 11.43

$2.20 RON 10.42

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RON 10.44

$1.83 RON 8.68

20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 RON 14.97

$3.18 RON 15.06

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 RON 15.76

$3.78 RON 17.88

-11.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 RON 7.21

$1.57 RON 7.44

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$1.34 RON 6.34

5.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.00 RON 9.47

-11.00%

Eggs

$3.60 RON 17.01

$3.22 RON 15.22

11.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 RON 41.39

$8.22 RON 38.87

6.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 RON 32.87

$6.42 RON 30.38

8.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 RON 59.1

$10.12 RON 47.89

23.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.00

$1.33 RON 6.27

11.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.30

$1.65 RON 7.82

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.60 RON 7.58

1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 RON 12.91

$2.06 RON 9.73

32.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$0.80 RON 3.77

-5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.84 RON 3.99

8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$1.11 RON 5.26

-18.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.99 RON 4.69

-19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 RON 28.23

$6.26 RON 29.61

-4.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 RON 35.63

$6.60 RON 31.23

14.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$1.28 RON 6.07

-3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.57

$2.05 RON 9.68

-11.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$0.81 RON 3.82

32.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 RON 110

$27.14 RON 128

-14.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 RON 2.98

$0.82 RON 3.86

-23.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$0.86 RON 4.09

-27.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 RON 31.05

$8.31 RON 39.33

-21.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.91 RON 9.05

0.52%

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

$28.2K RON 133.3K

$28.7K RON 135.8K

-1.87%

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

$26.1K RON 123.6K

$27.7K RON 131.3K

-5.86%

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

$179 RON 849

$179 RON 847

0.22%

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

$7.73 RON 36.56

$7.29 RON 34.47

6.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 RON 41.74

$8.28 RON 39.19

6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 RON 269

$44.12 RON 209

28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 RON 64.4

$15.93 RON 75.4

-14.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 RON 43.19

$8.49 RON 40.15

7.54%

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

$450 RON 2,131

$413 RON 1,956

8.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,955 RON 32.9K

$7,058 RON 33.4K

-1.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 RON 242

$73.4 RON 347

-30.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 RON 165

$37.95 RON 180

-7.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 RON 356

$94.0 RON 445

-19.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 RON 424

$90.7 RON 429

-1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 RON 3,197

$541 RON 2,561

24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,235

$431 RON 2,037

9.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 RON 6,228

$879 RON 4,159

49.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 4,980

$660 RON 3,121

59.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,079 RON 14.6K

$2,924 RON 13.8K

5.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 RON 11.3K

$1,902 RON 8,999

25.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 RON 5,212

$1,126 RON 5,325

-2.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.18

0.28%

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

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasov

$472 36.1%

Iasi

$431 34.5% 8.9% $42

Groceries & Markets

Brasov

$228 17.4%

Iasi

$215 17.2% 6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasov

$196 15%

Iasi

$195 15.6% 0.7% $1.4

Eating Out

Brasov

$194 14.8%

Iasi

$178 14.3% 8.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Brasov

$113 8.6%

Iasi

$133 10.7% 18% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Brasov

$75 5.7%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Brasov

$31 2.4%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 13.9% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Brasov and $541 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53.0 in Brasov vs $42.00 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $215 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Brasov

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Brasov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,200

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasov Iasi 230 km

From you

Brasov
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

Brasov vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasov and Iasi differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,310 vs $1,247 including rent). Iasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Iasi. 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: $676 in Brasov versus $541 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Iasi – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $53.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,310 per month in Brasov versus $1,247 in Iasi – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,247 in Iasi versus $1,310 in Brasov, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iasi but tight or insufficient in Brasov. The gap between the two cities makes Iasi 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, Brasov 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 5% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.