Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Calarasi, Romania

Name: Calarasi
Address: Calarasi, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

Jump to prices

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Iasi vs $884 in Calarasi, rent included.

Iasi $1,256
Calarasi $884

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Iasi vs $1,366 in Calarasi, rent included.

Iasi $1,841
Calarasi $1,366

A family of three spends $2,425 per month in Iasi vs $1,848 in Calarasi, rent included.

Iasi $2,425
Calarasi $1,848

Iasi costs about 42% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iasi and Calarasi are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Calarasi 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.1

$8.87 RON 42.27

18.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 201

$33.46 RON 160

26.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.21

$7.54 RON 35.94

-4.77%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.07

$2.08 RON 9.89

41.83%

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

$2.28 RON 10.86

$1.83 RON 8.73

24.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.47

$1.72 RON 8.18

3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.24

$1.53 RON 7.30

109.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.29

$1.44 RON 6.89

166.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.39

$1.45 RON 6.90

6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.26

$0.92 RON 4.39

42.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.41

$1.49 RON 7.08

32.21%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.51

$2.71 RON 12.92

19.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.25

$7.58 RON 36.15

8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.40

$4.30 RON 20.50

53.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 47.98

$8.38 RON 39.94

20.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.24

$1.09 RON 5.18

20.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.71

$1.38 RON 6.60

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 7.99

$1.23 RON 5.88

36.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.12

$1.45 RON 6.91

46.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.44 RON 2.07

95.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$0.62 RON 2.95

32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.25

$0.44 RON 2.09

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.47

$0.81 RON 3.86

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.14

$6.19 RON 29.50

-1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.66

$4.23 RON 20.18

56.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.37

$0.98 RON 4.67

36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.09

$1.38 RON 6.56

53.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.06

$0.41 RON 1.93

107.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 131

$12.30 RON 58.6

123.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.82

$0.60 RON 2.87

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.61 RON 2.89

42.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 38.78

$6.34 RON 30.20

28.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.17

$1.62 RON 7.74

18.52%

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

$28.6K RON 136.3K

$28.3K RON 135.1K

0.85%

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

$25.8K RON 123.2K

$25.1K RON 119.6K

3.00%

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

$181 RON 863

$163 RON 777

11.07%

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

$7.28 RON 34.72

$6.16 RON 29.35

18.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.09

$6.51 RON 31.05

25.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 209

$47.78 RON 228

-8.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.0

$51.6 RON 246

-69.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 40.91

$8.22 RON 39.17

4.38%

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

$385 RON 1,838

$375 RON 1,786

2.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.2K

$5,713 RON 27.2K

21.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 351

$73.5 RON 350

0.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 182

$20.65 RON 98.4

85.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 439

$89.8 RON 428

2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 424

$95.9 RON 457

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,586

$313 RON 1,493

73.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,073

$191 RON 912

127.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 3,987

$413 RON 1,968

102.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,074

$327 RON 1,558

97.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.3K

$1,190 RON 5,671

135.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,092

$965 RON 4,600

97.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,385

$728 RON 3,472

55.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

7.85

-8.54%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Calarasi

$191 21.6% 56% $244

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Calarasi

$166 18.8% 22.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Calarasi

$176 19.9% 10.6% $21

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Calarasi

$143 16.2% 20.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Calarasi

$126 14.3% 4.5% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Calarasi

$64 7.3% 5.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Calarasi

$18 2% 51.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Iasi versus $313 in Calarasi. 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 55% higher in Iasi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Iasi versus $33 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

65,181

💱 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

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Iasi Calarasi 330 km

From you

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Iasi, $884 in Calarasi – Calarasi comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Iasi and $1,326 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $542 in Iasi.

Kindergarten costs $385 per month in Iasi and $375 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Iasi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Iasi at $1,256. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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