Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $1,263 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,263

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Medias

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

A single person spends $1,263 per month in Iasi vs $1,102 in Medias, rent included.

Iasi $1,263
Medias $1,102

A couple spends around $1,842 per month in Iasi vs $1,683 in Medias, rent included.

Iasi $1,842
Medias $1,683

A family of three spends $2,420 per month in Iasi vs $2,263 in Medias, rent included.

Iasi $2,420
Medias $2,263

Iasi costs about 15% more than Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Iasi and Medias are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 7% lower, Medias 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.47 RON 49.74

$11.14 RON 53.0

-6.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.94 RON 199

$51.8 RON 246

-18.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 RON 33.03

$7.35 RON 34.94

-5.44%

Cappuccino

$2.85 RON 13.54

$3.70 RON 17.59

-22.97%

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

$2.15 RON 10.24

$2.46 RON 11.68

-12.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RON 8.66

$2.25 RON 10.71

-19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 RON 17.52

$3.27 RON 15.55

12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 RON 7.31

$1.23 RON 5.83

25.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.43 RON 6.77

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.73 RON 8.24

16.76%

Eggs

$3.32 RON 15.77

$3.59 RON 17.05

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 RON 40.16

$8.65 RON 41.13

-2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 RON 31.59

$6.69 RON 31.82

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 RON 46.18

$12.89 RON 61.3

-24.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.52

$1.48 RON 7.02

-7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.48 RON 7.04

11.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 RON 7.66

$1.55 RON 7.35

3.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.07

$2.58 RON 12.28

-17.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$0.77 RON 3.66

2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.75 RON 3.57

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.23

$0.80 RON 3.78

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.55

$0.75 RON 3.57

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.64

$6.21 RON 29.50

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 RON 32.92

$7.54 RON 35.85

-8.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.23 RON 5.83

6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.71

$1.80 RON 8.56

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.70 RON 3.32

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 RON 129

$23.96 RON 114

13.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.83

$0.66 RON 3.14

22.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.68 RON 3.23

19.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 RON 38.98

$6.60 RON 31.35

24.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.86

$1.38 RON 6.56

34.78%

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

$28.2K RON 133.8K

$29.0K RON 137.9K

-2.95%

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

$26.0K RON 123.8K

$25.2K RON 120.0K

3.13%

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

$181 RON 859

$180 RON 857

0.14%

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

$7.23 RON 34.36

$7.25 RON 34.47

-0.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.61 RON 40.92

$9.26 RON 43.99

-7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.50 RON 207

$37.03 RON 176

17.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 RON 76.2

$20.31 RON 96.6

-21.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 RON 40.75

$6.12 RON 29.10

40.03%

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

$399 RON 1,898

$438 RON 2,082

-8.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,646 RON 36.3K

$7,770 RON 36.9K

-1.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 350

$52.3 RON 249

40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 RON 187

$35.51 RON 169

10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 RON 445

$73.5 RON 349

27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 424

$90.8 RON 432

-1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 RON 2,583

$389 RON 1,850

39.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 RON 2,108

$292 RON 1,389

51.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 RON 3,876

$602 RON 2,862

35.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 RON 3,058

$453 RON 2,152

42.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,831 RON 13.5K

$2,039 RON 9,690

38.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,851 RON 8,798

$1,480 RON 7,036

25.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,142 RON 5,427

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

7.23

-0.69%

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

Last update for Iasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$444 35.1%

Medias

$292 26.5% 34.1% $151

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$217 17.1%

Medias

$222 20.2% 2.6% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$196 15.6%

Medias

$197 17.9% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.1%

Medias

$197 17.9% 10.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$133 10.5%

Medias

$113 10.3% 14.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.8%

Medias

$49 4.5% 18.8% $11

Getting Around

Iasi

$35 2.8%

Medias

$31 2.8% 12.5% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Iasi versus $389 in Medias. 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 $52 in Medias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $222 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

53,564

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Iasi Medias 270 km

From you

Iasi
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,263 in Iasi, $1,102 in Medias – Medias comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,895 per month in Iasi and $1,653 in Medias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medias, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $544 in Iasi.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Medias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $399 per month in Iasi and $438 in Medias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,263 in Iasi and $1,102 in Medias, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Iasi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,102 in Medias to $1,263 in Iasi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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