Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,143 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Iasi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Braila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $1,143 in Braila.

Iasi $1,256
Braila $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $1,725 in Braila.

Iasi $1,841
Braila $1,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $2,308 in Braila.

Iasi $2,425
Braila $2,308

Living in Iasi is roughly 10% more expensive than in Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iasi 8% lower, Braila 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.3

$18.68 RON 89.4

-43.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 202

$39.07 RON 187

8.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.33

$8.78 RON 41.98

-18.22%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.12

$2.63 RON 12.58

12.17%

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

$2.28 RON 10.90

$2.06 RON 9.85

10.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.70 RON 8.14

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.30

$1.63 RON 7.79

96.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.36

$2.08 RON 9.94

84.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.41

$1.82 RON 8.70

-14.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.28

$1.42 RON 6.80

-7.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.45

$1.47 RON 7.05

34.01%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.57

$3.36 RON 16.09

-3.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.40

$8.71 RON 41.67

-5.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.51

$7.65 RON 36.58

-13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.16

$9.51 RON 45.50

5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.26

$0.95 RON 4.53

37.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.46 RON 6.96

10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.02

$1.30 RON 6.23

29.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.16

$1.15 RON 5.50

84.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$0.84 RON 4.04

2.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.94

$0.72 RON 3.46

13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.27

$0.68 RON 3.25

61.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.49

$0.79 RON 3.76

18.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.25

$6.16 RON 29.46

-0.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.78

$6.19 RON 29.64

7.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.40

$1.02 RON 4.87

31.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.12

$1.56 RON 7.45

35.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.08

$0.61 RON 2.91

39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$15.47 RON 74.0

77.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.84

$1.03 RON 4.94

-22.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$0.72 RON 3.46

20.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 38.92

$6.77 RON 32.38

20.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.20

$1.58 RON 7.58

21.52%

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

$28.6K RON 136.8K

$26.8K RON 128.1K

6.80%

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

$25.8K RON 123.6K

$29.7K RON 142.0K

-12.93%

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

$181 RON 867

$138 RON 661

31.05%

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

$7.28 RON 34.85

$8.19 RON 39.16

-11.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.23

$12.91 RON 61.8

-36.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 210

$32.14 RON 154

36.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.3

$14.83 RON 70.9

7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.06

$7.27 RON 34.80

18.02%

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

$385 RON 1,844

$366 RON 1,751

5.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.3K

$8,266 RON 39.5K

-15.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 352

$100 RON 479

-26.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 183

$60.5 RON 289

-36.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 440

$91.3 RON 437

0.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 426

$123 RON 589

-27.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,595

$376 RON 1,800

44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,080

$305 RON 1,460

42.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,002

$536 RON 2,565

56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,086

$446 RON 2,135

44.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$1,880 RON 8,994

48.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,125

$1,304 RON 6,238

46.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,405

$851 RON 4,070

32.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

8.3

-13.49%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Braila

$305 26.7% 29.8% $130

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Braila

$206 18% 4.3% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Braila

$159 13.9% 19% $37

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Braila

$235 20.5% 29.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Braila

$169 14.8% 28% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Braila

$47 4.1% 23.6% $14

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Braila

$23 2% 37.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $376 in Braila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Iasi vs $39 in Braila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $206 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

180,302

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Iasi Braila 210 km

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Iasi
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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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Iasi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $376 in Braila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 44% less than in Iasi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $385 in Iasi versus $366 in Braila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Braila is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.