Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Tulcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iasi and in Tulcea

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Iasi vs $986 in Tulcea, rent included.

Iasi $1,256
Tulcea $986

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Iasi vs $1,559 in Tulcea, rent included.

Iasi $1,841
Tulcea $1,559

A family of three spends $2,425 per month in Iasi vs $2,132 in Tulcea, rent included.

Iasi $2,425
Tulcea $2,132

Iasi costs about 27% more than Tulcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iasi and Tulcea are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Tulcea 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$11.70 RON 56.2

-10.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$46.31 RON 223

-8.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.49

$7.87 RON 37.83

-8.77%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$2.07 RON 9.93

42.51%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.12 RON 10.17

7.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$1.06 RON 5.10

67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$2.07 RON 9.95

54.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.44

$2.04 RON 9.81

88.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.61 RON 7.75

-3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.04 RON 4.99

25.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.44 RON 6.91

36.81%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$3.16 RON 15.17

2.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.57

$7.51 RON 36.11

9.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.66

$6.89 RON 33.10

-4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.38

$9.10 RON 43.73

10.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$1.35 RON 6.48

-2.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.64 RON 7.86

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$1.42 RON 6.84

18.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$1.99 RON 9.59

6.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.74 RON 3.54

16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$0.70 RON 3.36

17.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$0.67 RON 3.24

64.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$0.77 RON 3.70

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.38

$6.42 RON 30.87

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.92

$6.33 RON 30.44

4.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.00 RON 4.83

34.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$1.42 RON 6.83

49.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$1.07 RON 5.14

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$17.84 RON 85.8

54.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$0.64 RON 3.09

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.62 RON 2.96

40.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.10

$6.36 RON 30.57

27.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.24

$1.74 RON 8.36

10.34%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$28.1K RON 135.1K

1.69%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$24.9K RON 119.6K

3.82%

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

$181 RON 870

$134 RON 643

35.36%

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

$7.28 RON 35.01

$7.76 RON 37.29

-6.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.41

$8.60 RON 41.32

-4.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$31.52 RON 151

39.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$16.60 RON 79.8

-3.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.24

$8.32 RON 40.00

3.12%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$319 RON 1,532

20.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$3,187 RON 15.3K

118.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$52.0 RON 250

41.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$31.54 RON 152

21.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$91.1 RON 438

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$95.8 RON 460

-7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,607

$343 RON 1,650

58.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$274 RON 1,315

58.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,020

$585 RON 2,813

42.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,100

$499 RON 2,397

29.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$990 RON 4,759

182.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,166

$856 RON 4,112

122.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,429

$648 RON 3,115

74.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.85

4.82%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Tulcea

$274 27.8% 37.1% $161

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Tulcea

$197 20% 8.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Tulcea

$150 15.2% 23.6% $46

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Tulcea

$169 17.2% 6.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Tulcea

$122 12.3% 7.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Tulcea

$48 4.9% 21.2% $13

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Tulcea

$26 2.6% 28.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Iasi versus $343 in Tulcea. 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 74% higher in Iasi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Iasi versus $46 in Tulcea. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Iasi vs $197 in Tulcea – so Tulcea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

73,707

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Iasi Tulcea 240 km

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Iasi
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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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Iasi, $986 in Tulcea – Tulcea comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Iasi and $1,479 in Tulcea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulcea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $542 in Iasi.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Tulcea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $385 per month in Iasi and $319 in Tulcea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tulcea, where all-in costs run around $986, than in Iasi at $1,256. In Tulcea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulcea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Tulcea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.