Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,217 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Iasi despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Craiova versus $1,256 in Iasi.

Craiova $1,217
Iasi $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,869 in Craiova versus $1,841 in Iasi.

Craiova $1,869
Iasi $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,520 in Craiova versus $2,425 in Iasi.

Craiova $2,520
Iasi $2,425

Living in Craiova costs roughly 3% less than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Craiova 11% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 RON 34.11

$10.50 RON 50.2

-32.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.37 RON 198

$42.22 RON 202

-2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 RON 35.60

$7.18 RON 34.29

3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.71 RON 12.96

$2.95 RON 14.11

-8.14%

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

$2.23 RON 10.63

$2.28 RON 10.89

-2.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.45

$1.78 RON 8.49

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 RON 10.70

$3.20 RON 15.28

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 RON 16.78

$3.84 RON 18.34

-8.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.08

$1.55 RON 7.40

-18.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 RON 3.92

$1.31 RON 6.27

-37.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.76

$1.97 RON 9.44

-27.92%

Eggs

$3.26 RON 15.56

$3.25 RON 15.55

0.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 RON 34.47

$8.23 RON 39.35

-12.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.47 RON 30.92

$6.59 RON 31.48

-1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 RON 54.9

$10.07 RON 48.10

14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.53

$1.31 RON 6.25

-27.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.15

$1.62 RON 7.73

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.93

$1.68 RON 8.01

-13.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.61

$2.12 RON 10.14

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.65

$0.86 RON 4.09

-11.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.82 RON 3.94

8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 RON 3.50

$1.10 RON 5.26

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.94 RON 4.49

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 RON 31.47

$6.11 RON 29.21

7.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 RON 30.29

$6.64 RON 31.74

-4.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.75

$1.34 RON 6.39

-10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 RON 6.99

$2.12 RON 10.11

-31.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 RON 4.19

$0.85 RON 4.07

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.16 RON 120

$27.49 RON 131

-8.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.80 RON 3.83

-23.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$0.87 RON 4.15

-25.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.46

$8.14 RON 38.88

-21.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.10

$1.92 RON 9.19

-1.04%

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

$28.9K RON 138.0K

$28.6K RON 136.6K

0.99%

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

$25.8K RON 123.5K

-0.03%

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

$216 RON 1,034

$181 RON 866

19.51%

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

$9.24 RON 44.18

$7.28 RON 34.81

26.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.57 RON 55.3

$8.20 RON 39.18

41.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.59 RON 184

$43.94 RON 210

-12.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.52 RON 103

$15.95 RON 76.2

34.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 RON 34.77

$8.58 RON 41.01

-15.15%

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

$411 RON 1,962

$385 RON 1,842

6.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,047 RON 38.5K

$6,965 RON 33.3K

15.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 RON 301

$73.6 RON 352

-14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 RON 242

$38.25 RON 183

32.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 RON 396

$92.0 RON 440

-10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 RON 494

$89.0 RON 425

16.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 RON 2,541

$542 RON 2,592

-1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 RON 2,000

$435 RON 2,078

-3.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 RON 4,346

$836 RON 3,997

8.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,961

$645 RON 3,082

28.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 RON 12.9K

$2,797 RON 13.4K

-3.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 RON 9,498

$1,907 RON 9,114

4.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 RON 4,368

$1,130 RON 5,398

-19.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

7.18

-4.74%

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

Last update for Craiova: 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

Craiova

$418 34.4%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 3.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$237 19.5%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 17.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$194 16%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 10.6% $21

Eating Out

Craiova

$146 12%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 23.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$135 11.1%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 2.3% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$53 4.4%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 15% $8

Getting Around

Craiova

$33 2.7%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 10.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $532 in Craiova and $542 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Craiova vs $42 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $215 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

Same time as Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

290,422

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Craiova Iasi 430 km

From you

Craiova
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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

Craiova vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Iasi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Craiova the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Craiova. 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: $532 in Craiova versus $542 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $411 in Craiova versus $385 in Iasi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Craiova runs roughly 8% less than in Iasi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Craiova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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