Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Lisbon

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Iasi vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Iasi $1,256
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Iasi vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Iasi $1,841
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,425 per month in Iasi vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Iasi $2,425
Lisbon $4,341

Iasi is about 43% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iasi sits 8% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$16.65 €14.95

-36.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$61.7 €55.5

-31.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.49

$11.36 €10.20

-36.80%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$2.97 €2.67

-0.67%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.29 €2.06

-0.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$1.74 €1.56

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$3.40 €3.06

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.44

$3.31 €2.97

16.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.16 €1.04

33.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.91 €1.72

-31.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.51 €1.36

30.46%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$4.02 €3.61

-19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.57

$12.94 €11.62

-36.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.66

$7.77 €6.98

-15.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.38

$17.76 €15.95

-43.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$2.30 €2.07

-43.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.73 €1.56

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$1.86 €1.67

-9.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.59 €2.33

-18.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$1.82 €1.64

-52.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$1.97 €1.77

-58.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$1.47 €1.32

-25.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$0.72 €0.65

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.38

$6.58 €5.91

-7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.92

$5.61 €5.04

18.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.36 €1.22

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.14 €1.92

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$2.33 €2.10

-63.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$44.68 €40.14

-38.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$3.85 €3.46

-79.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$1.07 €0.96

-18.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.10

$16.46 €14.79

-50.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.24

$2.20 €1.98

-12.73%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-16.38%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-33.26%

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

$181 RON 870

$161 €145

12.34%

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

$7.28 RON 35.01

$18.41 €16.54

-60.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.41

$32.74 €29.41

-74.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$44.55 €40.02

-1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$19.10 €17.16

-16.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.24

$9.60 €8.62

-10.62%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$668 €600

-42.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

-60.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$102 €91.6

-27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$44.46 €39.94

-13.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$98.5 €88.5

-6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$124 €111

-28.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,607

$1,608 €1,445

-66.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$1,190 €1,069

-63.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,020

$2,812 €2,526

-70.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,100

$2,013 €1,808

-67.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$7,839 €7,042

-64.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,166

$4,576 €4,110

-58.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,429

$1,575 €1,415

-28.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

3.85

86.49%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 174% $755

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 26.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 8% $16

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 34.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 4.3% $2.6

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 75.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Iasi versus $1,608 in Lisbon. 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 39% higher in Lisbon, 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 in Iasi versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $272 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

2 h behind Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iasi Lisbon 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Iasi, $2,210 in Lisbon – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Iasi and $3,315 in Lisbon. 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 $542 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $385 per month in Iasi and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iasi, where all-in costs run around $1,256, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Iasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,256 in Iasi to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.