Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Botosani

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $895 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 Botosani
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Botosani Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Botosani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $895 in Botosani.

Iasi $1,256
Botosani $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $1,321 in Botosani.

Iasi $1,841
Botosani $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $1,747 in Botosani.

Iasi $2,425
Botosani $1,747

Living in Iasi is roughly 40% more expensive than in Botosani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$9.05 RON 43.47

16.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$27.82 RON 134

51.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.49

$7.22 RON 34.69

-0.55%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$2.27 RON 10.93

29.96%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$1.38 RON 6.65

65.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$1.18 RON 5.68

50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$1.90 RON 9.16

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.44

$2.31 RON 11.11

66.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.39 RON 6.67

11.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.07 RON 5.13

22.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.46 RON 7.02

34.93%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$2.90 RON 13.96

12.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.57

$6.92 RON 33.25

18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.66

$5.91 RON 28.42

11.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.38

$9.08 RON 43.66

10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$1.00 RON 4.80

31.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.30 RON 6.25

24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$1.44 RON 6.90

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$1.86 RON 8.92

13.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.77 RON 3.68

11.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$0.54 RON 2.58

51.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$0.81 RON 3.88

35.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$0.71 RON 3.40

32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.38

$5.93 RON 28.51

3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.92

$6.40 RON 30.75

3.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.03 RON 4.97

30.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$1.59 RON 7.64

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$0.75 RON 3.61

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$29.58 RON 142

-7.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$0.70 RON 3.38

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.72 RON 3.45

20.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.10

$7.30 RON 35.08

11.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.24

$1.77 RON 8.50

8.47%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$26.3K RON 126.6K

8.54%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$25.5K RON 122.6K

1.29%

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

$181 RON 870

$98.7 RON 474

83.54%

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

$7.28 RON 35.01

$7.45 RON 35.83

-2.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.41

$8.29 RON 39.84

-1.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$30.75 RON 148

42.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$23.24 RON 112

-31.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.24

$5.30 RON 25.46

61.89%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$315 RON 1,513

22.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$45.88 RON 220

60.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$30.22 RON 145

26.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$62.5 RON 300

47.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$66.6 RON 320

33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,607

$391 RON 1,877

38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$280 RON 1,347

55.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,020

$537 RON 2,583

55.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,100

$379 RON 1,820

70.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$1,367 RON 6,571

104.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,166

$1,010 RON 4,853

88.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,429

$974 RON 4,681

15.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.57

9.28%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Botosani: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Botosani

$280 31.3% 35.6% $155

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Botosani

$184 20.5% 14.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Botosani

$114 12.8% 41.8% $82

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Botosani

$146 16.3% 19.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Botosani

$92 10.3% 30% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Botosani

$41 4.6% 32.3% $20

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Botosani

$37 4.1% 2.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $391 in Botosani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 16% 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 $28 in Botosani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $184 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Botosani

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

106,847

💱 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 Botosani 95 km

From you

Iasi
Botosani

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 Botosani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,256 in Iasi and $895 in Botosani, so Botosani is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $391 in Botosani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $385 in Iasi versus $315 in Botosani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Iasi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Botosani versus $1,256 in Iasi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Iasi. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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