Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Ploiesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,088 a month against $1,242 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,242

/mo nomad

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Ploiesti

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

A single person spends $1,242 per month in Iasi vs $1,088 in Ploiesti, rent included.

Iasi $1,242
Ploiesti $1,088

A couple spends around $1,848 per month in Iasi vs $1,663 in Ploiesti, rent included.

Iasi $1,848
Ploiesti $1,663

A family of three spends $2,453 per month in Iasi vs $2,238 in Ploiesti, rent included.

Iasi $2,453
Ploiesti $2,238

Iasi costs about 14% more than Ploiesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iasi and Ploiesti are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Ploiesti 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.33 RON 48.87

$11.59 RON 54.8

-10.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.64 RON 197

$46.97 RON 222

-11.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.99 RON 33.07

$7.85 RON 37.15

-10.96%

Cappuccino

$2.94 RON 13.90

$2.97 RON 14.07

-1.01%

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

$2.18 RON 10.31

$2.13 RON 10.07

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 RON 8.45

$2.12 RON 10.01

-15.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 RON 14.59

$2.50 RON 11.81

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.18

$3.32 RON 15.71

15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 RON 7.40

$1.58 RON 7.46

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$1.17 RON 5.54

18.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 RON 9.38

$1.50 RON 7.11

32.00%

Eggs

$3.29 RON 15.59

$3.24 RON 15.31

1.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 RON 38.81

$7.85 RON 37.15

4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 RON 30.17

$6.60 RON 31.21

-3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 RON 46.01

$9.28 RON 43.90

4.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.57

$1.30 RON 6.16

6.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 RON 7.99

$1.73 RON 8.17

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 7.98

$1.38 RON 6.55

22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.73

$2.00 RON 9.47

3.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.72

$0.78 RON 3.71

1.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$0.78 RON 3.67

15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 RON 5.47

$0.69 RON 3.28

68.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.78 RON 3.68

20.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 RON 30.18

$6.44 RON 30.46

-0.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.40

$6.67 RON 31.58

-0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 RON 6.23

$0.99 RON 4.69

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RON 9.75

$1.40 RON 6.63

47.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.82 RON 3.90

4.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.33 RON 129

$21.31 RON 101

28.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$0.62 RON 2.93

41.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.64 RON 3.05

29.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 RON 40.38

$6.38 RON 30.18

33.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.85 RON 8.77

-0.54%

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

$28.5K RON 134.7K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-1.21%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$25.2K RON 119.1K

4.68%

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

$183 RON 864

$167 RON 792

9.08%

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

$7.45 RON 35.25

$6.27 RON 29.67

18.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.65 RON 40.94

$8.86 RON 41.91

-2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 RON 210

$43.37 RON 205

2.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 RON 75.2

$21.38 RON 101

-25.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RON 40.07

$8.66 RON 40.98

-2.19%

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

$420 RON 1,987

$399 RON 1,889

5.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,095 RON 33.6K

$5,802 RON 27.5K

22.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 RON 339

$73.4 RON 347

-2.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.30 RON 181

$42.40 RON 201

-9.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 RON 436

$93.5 RON 442

-1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 RON 427

$97.3 RON 460

-7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 RON 2,576

$421 RON 1,990

29.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 1,999

$290 RON 1,371

45.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 RON 4,190

$568 RON 2,685

56.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 RON 3,222

$459 RON 2,170

48.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,923 RON 13.8K

$1,967 RON 9,305

48.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,900 RON 8,988

$1,226 RON 5,802

54.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 RON 5,222

$993 RON 4,698

11.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

7.85

-8.54%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ploiesti: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$423 34%

Ploiesti

$290 26.6% 31.4% $133

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.3%

Ploiesti

$200 18.4% 6.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$199 16%

Ploiesti

$183 16.8% 8.1% $16

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.3%

Ploiesti

$188 17.3% 5.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.6%

Ploiesti

$138 12.7% 4.9% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Ploiesti

$61 5.6% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Ploiesti

$28 2.6% 20.5% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Iasi versus $421 in Ploiesti. 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 11% higher in Iasi, 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 $42.00 in Iasi versus $47.00 in Ploiesti. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Iasi vs $200 in Ploiesti – so Ploiesti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

224,406

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Iasi Ploiesti 270 km

From you

Iasi
Ploiesti

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 Ploiesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,242 in Iasi, $1,088 in Ploiesti – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,863 per month in Iasi and $1,632 in Ploiesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ploiesti, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Ploiesti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $420 per month in Iasi and $399 in Ploiesti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ploiesti, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Iasi at $1,242. In Ploiesti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Iasi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,088 in Ploiesti to $1,242 in Iasi. 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 Ploiesti. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.