Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Craiova

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,217 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Iasi despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Craiova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Iasi versus $1,217 in Craiova.

Iasi $1,256
Craiova $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Iasi versus $1,869 in Craiova.

Iasi $1,841
Craiova $1,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,425 in Iasi versus $2,520 in Craiova.

Iasi $2,425
Craiova $2,520

Living in Iasi is roughly 3% more expensive than in Craiova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iasi 8% lower, Craiova 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.3

$7.14 RON 34.15

47.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 202

$41.37 RON 198

2.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.33

$7.45 RON 35.64

-3.62%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.12

$2.71 RON 12.98

8.86%

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

$2.28 RON 10.90

$2.23 RON 10.65

2.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.77 RON 8.46

0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.30

$2.24 RON 10.71

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.36

$3.51 RON 16.80

9.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.41

$1.27 RON 6.09

22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.28

$0.82 RON 3.93

59.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.45

$1.42 RON 6.77

38.73%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.57

$3.26 RON 15.57

-0.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.40

$7.21 RON 34.51

14.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.51

$6.47 RON 30.95

1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.16

$11.49 RON 55.0

-12.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.26

$0.95 RON 4.53

37.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.50 RON 7.16

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.02

$1.45 RON 6.94

15.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.16

$1.80 RON 8.62

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$0.76 RON 3.65

13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.94

$0.89 RON 4.28

-7.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.27

$0.73 RON 3.51

50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.49

$0.77 RON 3.67

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.25

$6.59 RON 31.51

-7.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.78

$6.34 RON 30.33

4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.40

$1.20 RON 5.76

11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.12

$1.46 RON 7.00

45.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.08

$0.88 RON 4.20

-3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$25.16 RON 120

9.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.84

$0.61 RON 2.93

31.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$0.65 RON 3.09

33.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 38.92

$6.37 RON 30.49

27.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.20

$1.90 RON 9.11

1.05%

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

$28.6K RON 136.8K

$28.9K RON 138.1K

-0.98%

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

$25.8K RON 123.6K

0.03%

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

$181 RON 867

$216 RON 1,036

-16.33%

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

$7.28 RON 34.85

$9.24 RON 44.23

-21.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.23

$11.57 RON 55.4

-29.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 210

$38.59 RON 185

13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.3

$21.52 RON 103

-25.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.06

$7.28 RON 34.81

17.86%

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

$385 RON 1,844

$411 RON 1,964

-6.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.3K

$8,047 RON 38.5K

-13.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 352

$62.9 RON 301

16.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 183

$50.6 RON 242

-24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 440

$82.8 RON 396

11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 426

$103 RON 495

-13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,595

$532 RON 2,544

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,080

$418 RON 2,002

3.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,002

$910 RON 4,352

-8.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,086

$829 RON 3,966

-22.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$2,703 RON 12.9K

3.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,125

$1,988 RON 9,509

-4.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,405

$914 RON 4,374

23.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.84

4.97%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Craiova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Craiova

$418 34.4% 3.8% $16

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Craiova

$194 16% 9.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Craiova

$237 19.5% 20.7% $41

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Craiova

$146 12% 19.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Craiova

$135 11.1% 2.3% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Craiova

$53 4.4% 13% $8

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Craiova

$33 2.7% 9.8% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Iasi and $532 in Craiova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Iasi vs $41 in Craiova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $194 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

269,506

💱 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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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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Iasi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Craiova the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $532 in Craiova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $385 in Iasi versus $411 in Craiova. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Craiova runs roughly 8% less than in Iasi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Craiova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Iasi and Craiova are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Craiova wins on affordability, Iasi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.