Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,251 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,251

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,251 in Iasi versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Iasi $1,251
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Iasi versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Iasi $1,834
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,417 in Iasi versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Iasi $2,417
Dubai $5,788

Living in Iasi costs roughly 56% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iasi is 7% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.54 RON 50.2

$13.04 AED 47.89

-19.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.58 RON 198

$81.4 AED 299

-48.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 RON 33.17

$9.32 AED 34.25

-25.32%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.07

$5.97 AED 21.93

-50.59%

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

$2.29 RON 10.89

$1.63 AED 5.98

40.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.46

$0.81 AED 2.99

119.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 RON 14.58

$13.65 AED 50.1

-77.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 RON 17.59

$13.38 AED 49.15

-72.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.14

$1.81 AED 6.64

-17.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 RON 6.34

$1.57 AED 5.78

-15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 RON 9.44

$2.49 AED 9.16

-20.48%

Eggs

$3.35 RON 15.95

$3.28 AED 12.04

2.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 RON 39.11

$12.67 AED 46.52

-35.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.61 RON 31.52

$9.75 AED 35.80

-32.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 RON 46.50

$13.18 AED 48.39

-25.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.53

$2.61 AED 9.57

-47.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.93 AED 7.09

-16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.92

$1.92 AED 7.05

-13.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 RON 10.28

$1.36 AED 5.00

58.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.02

$1.17 AED 4.29

-28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$1.01 AED 3.71

-17.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 RON 5.30

$1.51 AED 5.56

-26.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.62 AED 2.29

51.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 RON 29.82

$5.85 AED 21.50

7.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 RON 32.76

$16.14 AED 59.3

-57.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 RON 6.22

$2.65 AED 9.74

-50.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RON 9.84

$2.95 AED 10.82

-30.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.64 AED 6.03

-47.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 RON 133

$73.6 AED 270

-62.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$3.17 AED 11.66

-72.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.05

$0.71 AED 2.63

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 RON 39.57

$7.96 AED 29.23

4.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.08

$0.99 AED 3.64

91.92%

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

$28.5K RON 135.7K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

4.02%

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

$27.3K RON 130.2K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

21.18%

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

$183 RON 870

$250 AED 920

-27.11%

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

$7.40 RON 35.28

$54.2 AED 199

-86.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 RON 41.28

$91.8 AED 337

-90.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.73 RON 213

$98.6 AED 362

-54.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.73 RON 75.0

$42.61 AED 156

-63.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.86

$16.03 AED 58.9

-49.16%

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

$412 RON 1,962

$843 AED 3,098

-51.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,959 RON 33.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-61.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 RON 352

$68.0 AED 250

8.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.35 RON 188

$57.9 AED 212

-31.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 RON 453

$101 AED 370

-5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 RON 438

$101 AED 371

-8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,567

$2,380 AED 8,741

-77.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 RON 2,036

$1,506 AED 5,531

-71.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 RON 4,163

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-80.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,185

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-77.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,932 RON 14.0K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-58.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 RON 9,103

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-53.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 RON 5,324

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-67.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

4.54

58.15%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$427 34.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 253% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 36.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$199 15.9%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 99.6% $198

Eating Out

Iasi

$180 14.3%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 71.9% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$135 10.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 114% $70

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Dubai

$87 3% 139% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $539 in Iasi and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 203% 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: $42.00 in Iasi vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $293 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h ahead of Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iasi Dubai 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iasi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 128% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 203% lower in Dubai. 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: $539 in Iasi versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Iasi runs roughly 165% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $412 in Iasi versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,251 in Iasi versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iasi but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Iasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Iasi and Dubai 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 128% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.