Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $979 in Buzau.

Iasi $1,256
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $1,447 in Buzau.

Iasi $1,841
Buzau $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $1,916 in Buzau.

Iasi $2,425
Buzau $1,916

Living in Iasi is roughly 28% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iasi 8% lower, Buzau 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.4

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 202

$24.73 RON 119

70.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.41

$6.34 RON 30.41

13.25%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.16

$1.95 RON 9.35

51.28%

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

$2.28 RON 10.93

$1.92 RON 9.21

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.52

$1.45 RON 6.95

22.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.34

$1.71 RON 8.21

87.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.40

$1.70 RON 8.18

125.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.43

$1.66 RON 7.98

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.30

$1.28 RON 6.12

2.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.47

$1.43 RON 6.87

37.76%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.60

$3.03 RON 14.54

7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.49

$7.26 RON 34.80

13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.59

$6.39 RON 30.64

3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.27

$10.93 RON 52.4

-7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.27

$0.96 RON 4.58

36.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.76

$1.70 RON 8.14

-4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.03

$1.10 RON 5.25

52.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.18

$1.21 RON 5.81

75.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.11

$0.64 RON 3.07

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.95

$0.78 RON 3.76

5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.28

$0.49 RON 2.36

124.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.50

$0.67 RON 3.20

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.32

$6.29 RON 30.14

-2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.85

$6.34 RON 30.40

4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.41

$0.79 RON 3.80

69.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.15

$1.45 RON 6.96

46.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$0.60 RON 2.89

41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$21.71 RON 104

26.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$0.53 RON 2.56

50.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.17

$0.52 RON 2.51

67.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.01

$6.19 RON 29.69

31.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.22

$1.65 RON 7.89

16.36%

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

$28.6K RON 137.1K

$18.9K RON 90.8K

50.93%

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

$25.8K RON 123.9K

$21.1K RON 101.2K

22.48%

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

$181 RON 869

$121 RON 579

50.12%

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

$7.28 RON 34.93

$7.70 RON 36.92

-5.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.32

$7.63 RON 36.59

7.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$32.68 RON 157

34.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.5

$17.61 RON 84.5

-9.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.15

$6.94 RON 33.28

23.63%

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

$385 RON 1,849

$293 RON 1,406

31.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.4K

$6,804 RON 32.6K

2.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 353

$55.3 RON 265

33.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 183

$59.4 RON 285

-35.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 441

$97.8 RON 469

-5.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 427

$82.8 RON 397

7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,601

$353 RON 1,691

53.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,085

$292 RON 1,400

48.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,011

$605 RON 2,902

38.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,093

$425 RON 2,040

51.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$1,478 RON 7,087

89.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,147

$1,166 RON 5,590

63.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,417

$854 RON 4,097

32.21%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 32.9% $143

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Buzau

$192 19.6% 10.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Buzau

$136 13.9% 30.8% $61

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 16% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Buzau

$133 13.6% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Buzau

$47 4.8% 23.8% $15

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 24.4% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $353 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Iasi vs $25 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $192 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

115,494

💱 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 Buzau 230 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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,256 in Iasi and $979 in Buzau, so Buzau is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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 $353 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Iasi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25 versus $42 in Iasi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,256 in Iasi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Iasi. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.