Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,256 in Iasi.

Bucharest $1,354
Iasi $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,841 in Iasi.

Bucharest $2,043
Iasi $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,425 in Iasi.

Bucharest $2,733
Iasi $2,425

Living in Bucharest is roughly 8% more expensive than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$10.50 RON 50.5

39.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$42.22 RON 203

36.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$7.18 RON 34.49

4.74%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$2.95 RON 14.19

20.68%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.28 RON 10.95

8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.78 RON 8.54

22.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$3.20 RON 15.37

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$3.84 RON 18.44

11.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.55 RON 7.45

7.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.31 RON 6.31

3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.97 RON 9.49

-9.64%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$3.25 RON 15.64

9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$8.23 RON 39.57

10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$6.59 RON 31.66

3.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$10.07 RON 48.38

20.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.31 RON 6.29

-3.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.62 RON 7.77

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.68 RON 8.05

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$2.12 RON 10.20

19.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.86 RON 4.12

-9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.82 RON 3.96

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$1.10 RON 5.30

-19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.94 RON 4.51

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$6.11 RON 29.38

7.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$6.64 RON 31.92

-4.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$1.34 RON 6.43

-7.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$2.12 RON 10.17

-23.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.85 RON 4.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$27.49 RON 132

-24.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.80 RON 3.85

-23.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.87 RON 4.18

-29.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$8.14 RON 39.10

-24.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.92 RON 9.24

4.17%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

-2.25%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.8K RON 124.2K

-2.00%

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

$192 RON 923

$181 RON 870

6.05%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$7.28 RON 35.01

8.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$8.20 RON 39.41

9.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$43.94 RON 211

13.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$15.95 RON 76.7

55.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$8.58 RON 41.24

-0.82%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$385 RON 1,853

77.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$6,965 RON 33.5K

106.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$73.6 RON 354

22.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$38.25 RON 184

1.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$92.0 RON 442

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$89.0 RON 428

3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$542 RON 2,607

31.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$435 RON 2,090

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$836 RON 4,020

25.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$645 RON 3,100

12.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$2,797 RON 13.4K

29.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,907 RON 9,166

13.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

$1,130 RON 5,429

19.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.18

-5.99%

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

Last update for Bucharest: 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

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 5.9% $27

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 20.7% $47

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 4.4% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 2.3% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 8.8% $5.9

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 29.6% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $542 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 20% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $42 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $215 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

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

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Bucharest Iasi 320 km

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Bucharest
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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

Bucharest vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $1,256 in Iasi, so Iasi is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Bucharest, 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $542 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,256 in Iasi – Iasi is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 25% less than in Iasi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Iasi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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