Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $1,263 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,263

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $1,263 per month in Iasi vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Iasi $1,263
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $1,842 per month in Iasi vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Iasi $1,842
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $2,420 per month in Iasi vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Iasi $2,420
Calafat $1,982

Iasi costs about 24% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Iasi and Calafat are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 7% lower, Calafat 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.47 RON 49.74

$7.35 RON 34.96

42.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.94 RON 199

$38.38 RON 182

9.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 RON 33.03

$7.21 RON 34.26

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$2.85 RON 13.54

$2.14 RON 10.15

33.18%

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

$2.15 RON 10.24

$1.44 RON 6.83

49.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RON 8.66

$0.87 RON 4.12

109.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.20

$1.08 RON 5.12

196.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 RON 17.52

$1.83 RON 8.72

101.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 RON 7.31

$1.12 RON 5.31

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.76 RON 3.63

80.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.35 RON 6.40

49.63%

Eggs

$3.32 RON 15.77

$2.33 RON 11.07

42.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 RON 40.16

$6.69 RON 31.81

26.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 RON 31.59

$6.35 RON 30.16

4.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 RON 46.18

$6.24 RON 29.64

55.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.52

$1.01 RON 4.80

35.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.49 RON 7.08

10.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 RON 7.66

$1.28 RON 6.06

25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.07

$1.44 RON 6.85

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$0.60 RON 2.86

31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.75 RON 3.57

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.23

$0.69 RON 3.28

59.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.71 RON 3.38

35.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.64

$5.31 RON 25.22

17.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 RON 32.92

$6.27 RON 29.80

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$0.88 RON 4.16

48.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.71

$1.45 RON 6.91

40.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.75 RON 3.55

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 RON 129

$22.34 RON 106

21.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.83

$0.53 RON 2.53

52.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.51 RON 2.42

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 RON 38.98

$9.77 RON 46.44

-16.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.86

$1.51 RON 7.16

23.18%

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

$28.2K RON 133.8K

$25.5K RON 121.0K

10.59%

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

$26.0K RON 123.8K

$25.5K RON 121.2K

2.08%

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

$181 RON 859

$214 RON 1,018

-15.69%

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

$7.23 RON 34.36

$7.55 RON 35.90

-4.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.61 RON 40.92

$6.33 RON 30.07

36.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.50 RON 207

$37.82 RON 180

15.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 RON 76.2

$19.06 RON 90.6

-15.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 RON 40.75

$7.40 RON 35.17

15.81%

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

$399 RON 1,898

$412 RON 1,960

-3.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,646 RON 36.3K

$8,151 RON 38.7K

-6.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 350

$63.5 RON 302

15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 RON 187

$42.04 RON 200

-6.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 RON 445

$84.2 RON 400

11.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 424

$83.5 RON 397

6.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 RON 2,583

$380 RON 1,806

43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 RON 2,108

$294 RON 1,399

50.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 RON 3,876

$617 RON 2,931

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 RON 3,058

$468 RON 2,223

37.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,831 RON 13.5K

$1,910 RON 9,080

48.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,851 RON 8,798

$1,190 RON 5,658

55.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,142 RON 5,427

$812 RON 3,860

40.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

19.67%

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

Last update for Iasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$444 35.1%

Calafat

$294 29% 33.6% $149

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$217 17.1%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 23.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$196 15.6%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 16.1% $32

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.1%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 30.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$133 10.5%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 7.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.8%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 13.2% $8

Getting Around

Iasi

$35 2.8%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 19.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Iasi versus $380 in Calafat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Iasi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Iasi versus $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

18,500

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iasi Calafat 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,263 in Iasi, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,895 per month in Iasi and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $544 in Iasi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,263 in Iasi and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,263 in Iasi and $1,016 in Calafat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Iasi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,016 in Calafat to $1,263 in Iasi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Calafat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.