Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,242 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,242

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Barlad

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

A single person spends $1,242 per month in Iasi vs $975 in Barlad, rent included.

Iasi $1,242
Barlad $975

A couple spends around $1,848 per month in Iasi vs $1,521 in Barlad, rent included.

Iasi $1,848
Barlad $1,521

A family of three spends $2,453 per month in Iasi vs $2,066 in Barlad, rent included.

Iasi $2,453
Barlad $2,066

Iasi costs about 27% more than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Iasi and Barlad are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Barlad 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.33 RON 48.87

$8.96 RON 42.41

15.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.64 RON 197

$41.38 RON 196

0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.99 RON 33.07

$7.20 RON 34.06

-2.92%

Cappuccino

$2.94 RON 13.90

$2.41 RON 11.40

21.99%

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

$2.18 RON 10.31

$1.85 RON 8.75

17.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 RON 8.45

$1.54 RON 7.27

16.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 RON 14.59

$2.17 RON 10.25

41.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.18

$2.69 RON 12.72

42.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 RON 7.40

$1.34 RON 6.34

16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$1.12 RON 5.31

24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 RON 9.38

$1.40 RON 6.63

41.43%

Eggs

$3.29 RON 15.59

$3.39 RON 16.02

-2.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 RON 38.81

$7.51 RON 35.53

9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 RON 30.17

$5.22 RON 24.69

22.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 RON 46.01

$10.04 RON 47.49

-3.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.57

$1.04 RON 4.92

33.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 RON 7.99

$1.63 RON 7.73

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 7.98

$1.38 RON 6.54

22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.73

$1.76 RON 8.31

17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.72

$0.79 RON 3.75

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$0.77 RON 3.65

16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 RON 5.47

$0.84 RON 3.99

38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.89 RON 4.20

5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 RON 30.18

$6.64 RON 31.41

-3.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.40

$5.58 RON 26.38

19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 RON 6.23

$1.20 RON 5.68

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RON 9.75

$1.62 RON 7.67

27.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.51 RON 2.40

68.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.33 RON 129

$19.88 RON 94.0

37.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.72 RON 3.42

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.73 RON 3.46

13.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 RON 40.38

$6.99 RON 33.08

22.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.75 RON 8.30

5.14%

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

$28.5K RON 134.7K

$26.5K RON 125.3K

7.49%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$25.1K RON 118.7K

5.04%

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

$183 RON 864

$158 RON 748

15.57%

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

$7.45 RON 35.25

$8.87 RON 41.95

-16.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.65 RON 40.94

$8.36 RON 39.58

3.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 RON 210

$34.02 RON 161

30.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 RON 75.2

$18.05 RON 85.4

-11.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RON 40.07

$6.61 RON 31.28

28.14%

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

$420 RON 1,987

$465 RON 2,202

-9.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,095 RON 33.6K

$7,715 RON 36.5K

-8.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 RON 339

$62.0 RON 293

15.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.30 RON 181

$34.81 RON 165

10.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 RON 436

$72.7 RON 344

26.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 RON 427

$86.2 RON 408

4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 RON 2,576

$407 RON 1,927

33.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 1,999

$269 RON 1,271

57.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 RON 4,190

$651 RON 3,081

36.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 RON 3,222

$505 RON 2,387

35.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,923 RON 13.8K

$1,755 RON 8,305

66.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,900 RON 8,988

$1,263 RON 5,976

50.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 RON 5,222

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 19, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$423 34%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 36.4% $154

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.3%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 11.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$199 16%

Barlad

$175 18% 11.8% $23

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.3%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 14.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.6%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 12.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 22.9% $14

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 26.6% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Iasi versus $407 in Barlad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Iasi versus $41.00 in Barlad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $190 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

77,518

💱 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

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Between locations

Iasi Barlad 100 km

From you

Iasi
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,242 in Iasi, $975 in Barlad – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,863 per month in Iasi and $1,462 in Barlad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 37% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $420 per month in Iasi and $465 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Iasi at $1,242. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Iasi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,242 in Iasi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Barlad. 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.