Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,247 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 Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,247

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $1,247 in Iasi.

Buzau $979
Iasi $1,247

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $1,839 in Iasi.

Buzau $1,449
Iasi $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $2,431 in Iasi.

Buzau $1,919
Iasi $2,431

Living in Buzau costs roughly 22% less than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buzau 27% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$10.43 RON 49.33

-0.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$41.89 RON 198

-41.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$6.81 RON 32.22

-7.49%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$2.86 RON 13.55

-29.37%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$2.20 RON 10.42

-12.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$1.83 RON 8.68

-18.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$3.18 RON 15.06

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$3.78 RON 17.88

-54.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.57 RON 7.44

12.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.34 RON 6.34

-2.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$2.00 RON 9.47

-27.50%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$3.22 RON 15.22

-3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$8.22 RON 38.87

-8.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$6.42 RON 30.38

3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$10.12 RON 47.89

9.68%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$1.33 RON 6.27

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.65 RON 7.82

-1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$1.60 RON 7.58

-30.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.06 RON 9.73

-40.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$0.80 RON 3.77

-16.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$0.84 RON 3.99

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$1.11 RON 5.26

-56.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.99 RON 4.69

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$6.26 RON 29.61

-0.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$6.60 RON 31.23

-2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.28 RON 6.07

-40.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$2.05 RON 9.68

-30.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.81 RON 3.82

-18.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$27.14 RON 128

-20.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$0.82 RON 3.86

-36.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$0.86 RON 4.09

-43.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$8.31 RON 39.33

-25.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.91 RON 9.05

-13.61%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$28.7K RON 135.8K

-32.48%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$27.7K RON 131.3K

-23.81%

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

$119 RON 563

$179 RON 847

-33.60%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$7.29 RON 34.47

7.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$8.28 RON 39.19

-6.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$44.12 RON 209

-27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$15.93 RON 75.4

12.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$8.49 RON 40.15

-18.85%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$413 RON 1,956

-31.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$7,058 RON 33.4K

-4.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$73.4 RON 347

-25.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$37.95 RON 180

52.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$94.0 RON 445

3.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$90.7 RON 429

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$541 RON 2,561

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$431 RON 2,037

-32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$879 RON 4,159

-31.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$660 RON 3,121

-35.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$2,924 RON 13.8K

-49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$1,902 RON 8,999

-37.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$1,126 RON 5,325

-24.48%

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 Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Iasi

$431 34.5% 47.7% $139

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Iasi

$215 17.2% 9.5% $19

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Iasi

$178 14.3% 17% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Iasi

$195 15.6% 44.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Iasi

$133 10.7% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 33.4% $15

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 30.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $541 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 32% 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: $25.00 in Buzau vs $42.00 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $215 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

Same time as Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

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

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Between locations

Buzau Iasi 230 km

From you

Buzau
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

Buzau vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buzau and Iasi differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,247 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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: $344 in Buzau versus $541 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Iasi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $42.00 in Iasi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,247 in Iasi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Iasi. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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, Buzau 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 Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.