Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,247 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
Learn more

Iasi Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,247

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Arad

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 Arad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,247 per month in Iasi vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Iasi $1,247
Arad $873

A couple spends around $1,839 per month in Iasi vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Iasi $1,839
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $2,431 per month in Iasi vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Iasi $2,431
Arad $1,858

Iasi costs about 43% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Iasi and Arad are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Arad 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.43 RON 49.33

$8.16 RON 38.63

27.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 RON 198

$32.35 RON 153

29.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.81 RON 32.22

$7.15 RON 33.83

-4.76%

Cappuccino

$2.86 RON 13.55

$2.63 RON 12.45

8.75%

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

$2.20 RON 10.42

$1.48 RON 7.00

48.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RON 8.68

$1.59 RON 7.53

15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 RON 15.06

$2.14 RON 10.15

48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 RON 17.88

$2.48 RON 11.71

52.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.44

$1.12 RON 5.32

40.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.22 RON 5.76

9.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 RON 9.47

$1.72 RON 8.16

16.28%

Eggs

$3.22 RON 15.22

$2.57 RON 12.17

25.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 RON 38.87

$7.17 RON 33.94

14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 RON 30.38

$4.87 RON 23.03

31.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 RON 47.89

$10.13 RON 47.93

-0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.27

$1.60 RON 7.59

-16.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.82

$1.70 RON 8.05

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.58

$1.69 RON 8.02

-5.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.73

$1.40 RON 6.60

47.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.76 RON 3.59

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$0.85 RON 4.04

-1.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 RON 5.26

$1.18 RON 5.60

-5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.69

$0.77 RON 3.63

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 RON 29.61

$5.95 RON 28.14

5.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 RON 31.23

$5.73 RON 27.10

15.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.07

$1.22 RON 5.78

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 RON 9.68

$1.78 RON 8.40

15.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.87 RON 4.11

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 RON 128

$29.34 RON 139

-7.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 RON 3.86

$0.79 RON 3.71

3.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.09

$1.07 RON 5.06

-19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.31 RON 39.33

$10.40 RON 49.22

-20.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RON 9.05

$1.84 RON 8.72

3.80%

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

$28.7K RON 135.8K

$27.8K RON 131.8K

3.09%

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

$27.7K RON 131.3K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

11.39%

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

$179 RON 847

$125 RON 590

43.64%

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

$7.29 RON 34.47

$8.19 RON 38.74

-10.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.28 RON 39.19

$7.28 RON 34.42

13.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 RON 209

$34.12 RON 161

29.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 RON 75.4

$30.83 RON 146

-48.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.49 RON 40.15

$5.27 RON 24.91

61.10%

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

$413 RON 1,956

$159 RON 752

160.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,058 RON 33.4K

$3,847 RON 18.2K

83.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 RON 347

$42.29 RON 200

73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.95 RON 180

$21.47 RON 102

76.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 RON 445

$70.9 RON 335

32.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 RON 429

$72.6 RON 343

25.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 RON 2,561

$332 RON 1,571

62.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 RON 2,037

$222 RON 1,052

93.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 RON 4,159

$529 RON 2,505

66.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 RON 3,121

$412 RON 1,951

60.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,924 RON 13.8K

$1,420 RON 6,719

105.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 RON 8,999

$1,062 RON 5,027

79.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,126 RON 5,325

$919 RON 4,349

22.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

7.35

-2.31%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$431 34.5%

Arad

$222 25.5% 48.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.2%

Arad

$188 21.5% 12.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$195 15.6%

Arad

$140 16% 28% $55

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.3%

Arad

$146 16.8% 17.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$133 10.7%

Arad

$93 10.7% 30% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Arad

$45 5.1% 26.9% $16

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Arad

$39 4.5% 9.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Iasi versus $332 in Arad. 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 22% higher in Iasi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Iasi versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

159,074

💱 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

Highest

Between locations

Iasi Arad 490 km

From you

Iasi
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iasi costs about 43% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,871 per month in Iasi and $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Iasi and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,247 in Iasi and $873 in Arad. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Iasi at $1,247. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,247 in Iasi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.