Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $935 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Baia Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $935 in Baia Mare.

Iasi $1,256
Baia Mare $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $1,452 in Baia Mare.

Iasi $1,841
Baia Mare $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $1,969 in Baia Mare.

Iasi $2,425
Baia Mare $1,969

Living in Iasi is roughly 34% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iasi 8% lower, Baia Mare 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.1

$12.61 RON 60.1

-16.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 201

$32.99 RON 157

27.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.19

$8.16 RON 38.90

-12.01%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.06

$2.07 RON 9.85

42.51%

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

$2.28 RON 10.86

$1.81 RON 8.63

25.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.47

$1.39 RON 6.63

28.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.24

$1.61 RON 7.66

98.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.28

$2.15 RON 10.22

78.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.38

$1.45 RON 6.91

6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.26

$1.40 RON 6.69

-6.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.41

$1.54 RON 7.32

27.92%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.50

$2.82 RON 13.45

15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.23

$5.92 RON 28.23

39.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.38

$6.82 RON 32.49

-3.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 47.96

$10.77 RON 51.3

-6.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.23

$1.08 RON 5.16

21.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.71

$1.47 RON 6.98

10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 7.98

$1.37 RON 6.52

22.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.11

$2.61 RON 12.45

-18.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.92 RON 4.39

-6.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$1.08 RON 5.16

-24.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.25

$1.11 RON 5.30

-0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.47

$0.81 RON 3.85

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.13

$6.12 RON 29.14

-0.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.65

$4.52 RON 21.52

46.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.37

$1.05 RON 4.98

27.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.08

$1.62 RON 7.71

30.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.06

$0.71 RON 3.37

19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 131

$14.38 RON 68.5

91.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.82

$0.77 RON 3.66

3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.75 RON 3.55

16.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 38.76

$5.94 RON 28.32

37.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.16

$1.73 RON 8.26

10.98%

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

$28.6K RON 136.2K

$28.5K RON 136.0K

0.19%

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

$25.8K RON 123.1K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

2.72%

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

$181 RON 863

$102 RON 488

76.96%

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

$7.28 RON 34.70

$15.11 RON 72.0

-51.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.07

$11.75 RON 56.0

-30.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 209

$37.40 RON 178

17.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.0

$16.21 RON 77.2

-1.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 40.89

$10.01 RON 47.67

-14.29%

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

$385 RON 1,837

$520 RON 2,479

-25.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.2K

$5,441 RON 25.9K

28.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 351

$37.34 RON 178

97.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 182

$42.05 RON 200

-9.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 438

$62.3 RON 297

47.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 424

$74.7 RON 356

19.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,585

$368 RON 1,752

47.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,072

$255 RON 1,215

70.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,985

$582 RON 2,773

43.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,073

$440 RON 2,095

46.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.3K

$2,187 RON 10.4K

27.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,087

$1,477 RON 7,037

29.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,382

$853 RON 4,066

32.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

7.48

-4.01%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Baia Mare

$255 27.3% 41.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Baia Mare

$199 21.3% 7.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Baia Mare

$129 13.8% 34.3% $67

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Baia Mare

$175 18.7% 3.1% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Baia Mare

$97 10.4% 26.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Baia Mare

$57 6.1% 6% $3.7

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Baia Mare

$22 2.3% 39.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $368 in Baia Mare. 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: $42 in Iasi vs $33 in Baia Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $199 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

123,738

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Iasi Baia Mare 310 km

From you

Iasi
Baia Mare

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 Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $368 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $385 in Iasi versus $520 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Iasi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.