Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Alba Iulia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $901 in Alba Iulia.

Iasi $1,256
Alba Iulia $901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $1,378 in Alba Iulia.

Iasi $1,841
Alba Iulia $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $1,855 in Alba Iulia.

Iasi $2,425
Alba Iulia $1,855

Living in Iasi is roughly 39% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iasi 8% lower, Alba Iulia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$8.60 RON 41.32

22.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$30.98 RON 149

36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.49

$5.88 RON 28.25

22.11%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$2.28 RON 10.95

29.39%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$1.75 RON 8.43

30.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$1.48 RON 7.13

20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$1.97 RON 9.45

62.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.44

$2.04 RON 9.79

88.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.23 RON 5.91

26.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.08 RON 5.20

21.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.43 RON 6.86

37.76%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$2.69 RON 12.93

20.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.57

$7.53 RON 36.17

9.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.66

$6.03 RON 28.97

9.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.38

$10.80 RON 51.9

-6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$0.92 RON 4.44

42.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.31 RON 6.29

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$1.26 RON 6.06

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.33 RON 11.20

-9.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.72 RON 3.44

19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$0.59 RON 2.83

38.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$0.87 RON 4.18

26.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$0.61 RON 2.92

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.38

$5.18 RON 24.88

17.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.92

$4.28 RON 20.56

55.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.12 RON 5.36

19.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$1.27 RON 6.11

66.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$0.75 RON 3.60

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$16.98 RON 81.6

61.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$0.64 RON 3.06

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.63 RON 3.03

38.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.10

$4.47 RON 21.46

82.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.24

$1.50 RON 7.20

28.00%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

-0.70%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$23.7K RON 114.1K

8.87%

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

$181 RON 870

$125 RON 598

45.44%

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

$7.28 RON 35.01

$7.31 RON 35.12

-0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.41

$9.01 RON 43.29

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$29.55 RON 142

48.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$30.83 RON 148

-48.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.24

$5.09 RON 24.44

68.57%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$435 RON 2,092

-11.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$6,969 RON 33.5K

-0.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$38.02 RON 183

93.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$23.94 RON 115

59.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$73.8 RON 355

24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$61.7 RON 297

44.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,607

$296 RON 1,422

83.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$283 RON 1,360

53.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,020

$612 RON 2,941

36.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,100

$478 RON 2,298

34.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$1,643 RON 7,894

70.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,166

$1,401 RON 6,732

36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,429

$903 RON 4,340

25.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.97

3.01%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4% 34.9% $152

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5% 14.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 28.4% $56

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 22.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9% 32.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4% 35% $21

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 34.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 25% 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: $42 in Iasi vs $31 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $185 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

63,536

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Iasi Alba Iulia 330 km

From you

Iasi
Alba Iulia

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

Iasi vs Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Iasi, 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: $542 in Iasi versus $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,256 per month in Iasi versus $901 in Alba Iulia – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 38% less than in Iasi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,256 in Iasi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Iasi. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Safety-wise, Iasi and Alba Iulia 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.