Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Iasi $1,256
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Iasi $1,841
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Iasi $2,425
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Iasi costs roughly 12% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iasi is 8% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$12.58 RON 60.5

-16.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$54.8 RON 264

-23.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.50

$9.59 RON 46.13

-25.13%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$3.78 RON 18.15

-21.96%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.30 RON 11.08

-0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$2.22 RON 10.68

-19.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$3.32 RON 15.95

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.45

$4.20 RON 20.18

-8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.60 RON 7.71

-3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.44 RON 6.93

-9.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.69 RON 8.14

16.57%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$3.76 RON 18.05

-13.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.59

$9.07 RON 43.59

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.67

$7.14 RON 34.31

-7.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.39

$11.46 RON 55.1

-12.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$1.39 RON 6.66

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.58 RON 7.60

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$1.88 RON 9.05

-10.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.37 RON 11.38

-10.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.92 RON 4.43

-6.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$0.90 RON 4.32

-8.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$0.90 RON 4.35

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$1.01 RON 4.84

-6.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.39

$6.42 RON 30.87

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.93

$7.41 RON 35.63

-10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.25 RON 5.99

7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$1.73 RON 8.32

22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.76 RON 3.65

11.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$44.23 RON 213

-37.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.86

$0.84 RON 4.02

-4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.96 RON 4.63

-9.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.11

$8.27 RON 39.75

-1.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.25

$1.94 RON 9.32

-1.03%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$28.3K RON 136.2K

0.92%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$24.7K RON 118.9K

4.47%

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

$181 RON 871

$151 RON 725

20.06%

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

$7.28 RON 35.02

$8.44 RON 40.56

-13.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.42

$9.16 RON 44.05

-10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$47.36 RON 228

-7.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$22.01 RON 106

-27.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.25

$9.35 RON 44.97

-8.24%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$577 RON 2,774

-33.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$9,450 RON 45.4K

-26.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$87.1 RON 419

-15.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$44.26 RON 213

-13.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$98.8 RON 475

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$107 RON 513

-16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,608

$668 RON 3,213

-18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$536 RON 2,575

-18.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,021

$1,227 RON 5,897

-31.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,101

$807 RON 3,882

-20.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$4,568 RON 22.0K

-38.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,169

$3,342 RON 16.1K

-42.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,431

$1,241 RON 5,964

-8.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.65

7.97%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 23.2% $101

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 14.3% $28

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 20.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 15% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 8.1% $5

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 46.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42 in Iasi vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $230 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

324,576

💱 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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Between locations

Iasi Cluj-Napoca 310 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 Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iasi is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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 $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Iasi runs roughly 38% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $385 in Iasi versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

For families, Iasi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Iasi and Cluj-Napoca are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Iasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.