Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,251 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,251

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,251 per month in Iasi vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Iasi $1,251
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in Iasi vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Iasi $1,834
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,417 per month in Iasi vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Iasi $2,417
Cape Town $3,307

Iasi is about 20% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Iasi sits 7% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.54 RON 50.2

$11.78 R 195

-10.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.58 RON 198

$46.55 R 772

-10.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 RON 33.17

$5.96 R 98.9

16.78%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.07

$2.47 R 41.01

19.43%

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

$2.29 RON 10.89

$1.33 R 22.03

72.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.46

$1.03 R 17.08

72.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 RON 14.58

$3.01 R 49.98

1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 RON 17.59

$3.66 R 60.8

0.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.14

$1.39 R 23.08

7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 RON 6.34

$1.19 R 19.70

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 RON 9.44

$2.11 R 35.02

-6.16%

Eggs

$3.35 RON 15.95

$3.01 R 49.84

11.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 RON 39.11

$8.96 R 149

-8.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.61 RON 31.52

$6.65 R 110

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 RON 46.50

$9.29 R 154

5.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.53

$1.83 R 30.28

-25.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.90 R 31.47

-14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.92

$1.75 R 28.98

-5.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 RON 10.28

$2.09 R 34.59

3.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.02

$1.55 R 25.78

-45.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$1.49 R 24.65

-44.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 RON 5.30

$1.30 R 21.53

-14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$1.16 R 19.29

-18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 RON 29.82

$3.71 R 61.5

68.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 RON 32.76

$6.06 R 101

13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 RON 6.22

$1.39 R 22.97

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RON 9.84

$2.20 R 36.51

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.51 R 25.11

-43.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 RON 133

$61.0 R 1,011

-54.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.63 R 10.38

36.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.05

$1.53 R 25.42

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 RON 39.57

$4.81 R 79.8

72.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.08

$1.58 R 26.22

20.25%

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

$28.5K RON 135.7K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-19.79%

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

$27.3K RON 130.2K

$31.7K R 526.6K

-13.97%

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

$183 RON 870

$116 R 1,930

56.83%

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

$7.40 RON 35.28

$28.37 R 471

-73.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 RON 41.28

$40.69 R 675

-78.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.73 RON 213

$48.85 R 810

-8.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.73 RON 75.0

$11.13 R 185

41.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.86

$8.83 R 146

-7.70%

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

$412 RON 1,962

$261 R 4,336

57.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,959 RON 33.2K

$6,702 R 111.2K

3.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 RON 352

$55.4 R 919

33.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.35 RON 188

$32.27 R 535

21.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 RON 453

$118 R 1,949

-19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 RON 438

$107 R 1,775

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,567

$1,015 R 16.8K

-46.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 RON 2,036

$715 R 11.9K

-40.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 RON 4,163

$1,801 R 29.9K

-51.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,185

$1,330 R 22.1K

-49.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,932 RON 14.0K

$2,331 R 38.7K

25.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 RON 9,103

$1,513 R 25.1K

26.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 RON 5,324

$1,636 R 27.1K

-31.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

10.97

-34.55%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$427 34.1%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 67.5% $288

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 3.5% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$199 15.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 6.6% $13

Eating Out

Iasi

$180 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 3.3% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$135 10.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 4% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 9% $5.5

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 107% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Iasi versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 46% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Iasi versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $222 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h behind Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iasi Cape Town 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 25% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,876 per month in Iasi and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iasi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,251 in Iasi and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 119% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iasi, where all-in costs run around $1,251, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Iasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Iasi costs $1,251 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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