Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Iasi $1,256
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Iasi $1,841
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Iasi $2,425
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Iasi costs roughly 7% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$14.66 RON 70.5

-28.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$57.7 RON 277

-26.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.50

$7.52 RON 36.14

-4.52%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$3.56 RON 17.09

-17.13%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.47 RON 11.88

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$2.18 RON 10.50

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$3.69 RON 17.73

-13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.45

$4.28 RON 20.57

-10.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.67 RON 8.04

-7.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.35 RON 6.49

-2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.78 RON 8.53

10.67%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$3.56 RON 17.12

-8.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.59

$9.12 RON 43.86

-9.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.67

$6.82 RON 32.77

-3.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.39

$12.13 RON 58.3

-16.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$1.26 RON 6.08

3.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.62 RON 7.80

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$1.56 RON 7.49

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.54 RON 12.21

-16.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.78 RON 3.76

10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$0.77 RON 3.72

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$0.89 RON 4.27

23.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$0.90 RON 4.32

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.39

$6.55 RON 31.49

-6.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.93

$6.37 RON 30.60

4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.24 RON 5.98

8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$1.62 RON 7.80

30.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.85 RON 4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$20.71 RON 99.6

32.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.86

$0.61 RON 2.95

31.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.61 RON 2.95

42.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.11

$6.16 RON 29.62

32.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.25

$2.00 RON 9.60

-4.00%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$27.9K RON 134.4K

2.30%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

2.05%

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

$181 RON 871

$192 RON 923

-5.70%

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

$7.28 RON 35.02

$7.92 RON 38.06

-8.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.42

$8.96 RON 43.06

-8.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$49.99 RON 240

-12.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$24.81 RON 119

-35.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.25

$8.51 RON 40.90

0.82%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$686 RON 3,297

-43.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$14.4K RON 69.3K

-51.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$90.2 RON 434

-18.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$38.74 RON 186

-1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$78.9 RON 379

16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$92.1 RON 443

-3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,608

$711 RON 3,419

-23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$462 RON 2,220

-5.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,021

$1,053 RON 5,064

-20.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,101

$723 RON 3,474

-10.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$3,634 RON 17.5K

-23.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,169

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-12.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,431

$1,354 RON 6,508

-16.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.75

6.37%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 6.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 4.6% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 6.3% $12

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 26.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Bucharest

$135 10% 2.4% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 9.7% $5.9

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 22.9% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 20% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Iasi vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $225 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

1,883,425 Capital

💱 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

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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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iasi and Bucharest differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,354 including rent). Iasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Iasi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Iasi versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,256 per month in Iasi versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 25% less than in Iasi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Iasi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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