Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $882 a month against $1,128 in Irkutsk, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
Learn more

Irkutsk Living Index

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Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calarasi and in Irkutsk

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calarasi and in Irkutsk actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $882 per month in Calarasi vs $1,128 in Irkutsk, rent included.

Calarasi $882
Irkutsk $1,128

A couple spends around $1,363 per month in Calarasi vs $1,660 in Irkutsk, rent included.

Calarasi $1,363
Irkutsk $1,660

A family of three spends $1,844 per month in Calarasi vs $2,191 in Irkutsk, rent included.

Calarasi $1,844
Irkutsk $2,191

Calarasi is about 22% cheaper than Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calarasi and Irkutsk are more affordable than the global median – Calarasi 35% lower, Irkutsk 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 RON 42.12

$9.18 ₽766

-3.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.15 RON 157

$36.26 ₽3,026

-8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 RON 35.83

$6.07 ₽506

24.71%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.81

$3.10 ₽259

-33.23%

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

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.50 ₽125

18.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 RON 7.70

$0.59 ₽49.01

176.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 RON 7.52

$2.34 ₽196

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.79

$3.63 ₽303

-60.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RON 6.85

$1.27 ₽106

14.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 RON 4.24

$0.60 ₽50.1

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.06

$1.47 ₽123

1.36%

Eggs

$2.80 RON 13.26

$1.62 ₽135

72.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 RON 36.46

$11.62 ₽970

-33.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 RON 19.71

$7.04 ₽588

-40.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 RON 39.16

$12.41 ₽1,036

-33.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$2.11 ₽176

-49.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.55

$1.97 ₽164

-29.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 RON 5.80

$1.64 ₽136

-25.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$3.43 ₽287

-57.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.40 RON 1.89

$0.73 ₽60.8

-45.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.06

$0.66 ₽54.9

-1.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 RON 2.05

$1.47 ₽122

-70.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.55

$0.69 ₽57.8

8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.87

$3.13 ₽261

101.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.43

$7.71 ₽643

-46.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$1.01 ₽84.1

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.73

$2.01 ₽168

-29.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 RON 1.92

$0.62 ₽51.6

-33.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.57 RON 59.5

$15.88 ₽1,326

-20.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$1.17 ₽97.7

-43.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.17 ₽14.34

264.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 RON 28.82

$8.61 ₽718

-29.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$0.84 ₽69.8

92.86%

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

$28.2K RON 133.6K

$28.8K ₽2.4M

-2.04%

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

$24.8K RON 117.5K

$36.0K ₽3.0M

-30.96%

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

$164 RON 778

$120 ₽10.1K

36.49%

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

$6.30 RON 29.82

$5.61 ₽468

12.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.51 RON 30.81

$11.44 ₽954

-43.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.84 RON 222

$67.3 ₽5,620

-30.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.8 RON 245

$21.52 ₽1,796

140.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 RON 38.94

$6.65 ₽555

23.76%

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

$404 RON 1,913

$389 ₽32.5K

3.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,678 RON 26.9K

$3,279 ₽273.6K

73.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 RON 339

$74.8 ₽6,241

-4.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.03 RON 99.5

$23.65 ₽1,974

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 RON 432

$99.3 ₽8,289

-8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 RON 459

$116 ₽9,675

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 RON 1,476

$516 ₽43.0K

-39.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 RON 898

$366 ₽30.6K

-48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 RON 1,981

$789 ₽65.8K

-46.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 RON 1,539

$484 ₽40.4K

-32.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,206 RON 5,706

$2,674 ₽223.2K

-54.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$949 RON 4,490

$1,815 ₽151.5K

-47.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$729 RON 3,449

$655 ₽54.7K

11.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

24.57

-68.05%

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

Last update for Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calarasi

$190 21.5%

Irkutsk

$366 32.4% 92.8% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$177 20.1%

Irkutsk

$138 12.2% 22.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$164 18.6%

Irkutsk

$227 20.1% 37.8% $62

Eating Out

Calarasi

$143 16.2%

Irkutsk

$156 13.8% 9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$126 14.3%

Irkutsk

$141 12.5% 11.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$63 7.2%

Irkutsk

$81 7.2% 27.4% $17

Getting Around

Calarasi

$18 2%

Irkutsk

$20 1.8% 13.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Calarasi versus $516 in Irkutsk. 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 11% higher in Calarasi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Calarasi versus $36.00 in Irkutsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $227 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

14:07 2:07 PM

5 h ahead of Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,181

617,515

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calarasi Irkutsk 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calarasi
Irkutsk

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

Calarasi vs Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $882 in Calarasi, $1,128 in Irkutsk – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,324 per month in Calarasi and $1,693 in Irkutsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $404 per month in Calarasi and $389 in Irkutsk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Irkutsk, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $882, than in Irkutsk at $1,128. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Irkutsk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – 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 Calarasi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Irkutsk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.