Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,263 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,263

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $1,263 per month in Iasi vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Iasi $1,263
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,842 per month in Iasi vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Iasi $1,842
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,420 per month in Iasi vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Iasi $2,420
Istanbul $3,212

Iasi is about 17% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iasi sits 7% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.47 RON 49.73

$11.81 ₺592

-11.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.94 RON 199

$54.9 ₺2,754

-23.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 RON 33.02

$9.26 ₺465

-24.95%

Cappuccino

$2.85 RON 13.53

$4.30 ₺216

-33.72%

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

$2.15 RON 10.23

$1.77 ₺89.0

21.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RON 8.66

$0.56 ₺28.32

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.19

$4.69 ₺235

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 RON 17.51

$7.12 ₺357

-48.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 RON 7.31

$1.25 ₺62.7

23.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.88 ₺44.17

55.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 RON 9.61

$2.20 ₺111

-8.18%

Eggs

$3.32 RON 15.77

$2.43 ₺122

36.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 RON 40.14

$10.48 ₺526

-19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 RON 31.58

$5.31 ₺267

25.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 RON 46.17

$21.10 ₺1,058

-53.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.52

$1.86 ₺93.1

-26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$2.30 ₺115

-28.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 RON 7.66

$1.22 ₺61.0

31.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.06

$1.80 ₺90.2

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$0.69 ₺34.83

14.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.64 ₺32.16

40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.22

$1.36 ₺68.0

-19.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.58 ₺28.94

65.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.63

$2.34 ₺117

166.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 RON 32.91

$13.03 ₺653

-46.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 RON 6.20

$2.36 ₺118

-44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.71

$3.32 ₺166

-38.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.88 ₺44.07

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 RON 129

$66.1 ₺3,316

-58.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.83

$1.28 ₺64.4

-36.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.85 ₺42.80

-4.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 RON 38.97

$11.09 ₺556

-26.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.86

$1.48 ₺74.0

25.68%

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

$28.2K RON 133.8K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-42.11%

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

$26.0K RON 123.7K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-37.97%

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

$181 RON 858

$92.7 ₺4,650

94.82%

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

$7.23 RON 34.34

$11.20 ₺562

-35.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.61 RON 40.91

$15.89 ₺797

-45.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.50 RON 207

$74.7 ₺3,745

-41.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 RON 76.2

$22.95 ₺1,151

-30.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 RON 40.73

$8.05 ₺404

6.46%

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

$399 RON 1,898

$948 ₺47.6K

-57.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,646 RON 36.3K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-79.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 350

$53.9 ₺2,702

36.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 RON 187

$41.49 ₺2,081

-5.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 RON 445

$101 ₺5,060

-7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 424

$91.3 ₺4,580

-2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 RON 2,582

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-46.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 RON 2,107

$625 ₺31.3K

-28.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 RON 3,874

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-59.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 RON 3,057

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-42.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,831 RON 13.5K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-5.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,851 RON 8,795

$1,730 ₺86.8K

6.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,142 RON 5,425

$1,136 ₺57.0K

0.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

40.42

-82.24%

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

Last update for Iasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$444 35.1%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 40.8% $181

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$217 17.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 19.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$196 15.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 39% $77

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.1%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 24.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$133 10.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 2.8% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.8%

Istanbul

$91 6% 49.7% $30

Getting Around

Iasi

$35 2.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 114% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Iasi versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Iasi versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $258 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

1 h ahead of Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iasi Istanbul 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,263 in Iasi, $1,519 in Istanbul – Iasi comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,895 per month in Iasi and $2,278 in Istanbul. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $544 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $399 per month in Iasi and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,263 in Iasi and $1,519 in Istanbul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Iasi costs $1,263 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Iasi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 17% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.