Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Iasi

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.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
Learn more

Iasi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Iasi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Iasi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,519
Iasi $1,263

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

Istanbul $2,365
Iasi $1,842

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

Istanbul $3,212
Iasi $2,420

Istanbul costs about 20% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.47 RON 49.73

12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.94 RON 199

30.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.95 RON 33.02

33.24%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.85 RON 13.53

50.88%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.15 RON 10.23

-17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.82 RON 8.66

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.20 RON 15.19

46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.69 RON 17.51

92.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.54 RON 7.31

-18.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.37 RON 6.50

-35.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.02 RON 9.61

8.91%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.32 RON 15.77

-26.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.45 RON 40.14

24.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.65 RON 31.58

-20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.72 RON 46.17

117.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.37 RON 6.52

35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.65 RON 7.85

39.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.61 RON 7.66

-24.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.12 RON 10.06

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.79 RON 3.77

-12.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.90 RON 4.27

-28.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.10 RON 5.22

23.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.96 RON 4.55

-39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.24 RON 29.63

-62.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.93 RON 32.91

88.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.31 RON 6.20

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.04 RON 9.71

62.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.80 RON 3.80

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$27.14 RON 129

143.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.81 RON 3.83

58.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.81 RON 3.85

4.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.20 RON 38.97

35.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.86 RON 8.86

-20.43%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K RON 133.8K

72.73%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$26.0K RON 123.7K

61.22%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$181 RON 858

-48.67%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.23 RON 34.34

54.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.61 RON 40.91

84.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$43.50 RON 207

71.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.04 RON 76.2

43.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.57 RON 40.73

-6.07%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$399 RON 1,898

137.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,646 RON 36.3K

382.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$73.6 RON 350

-26.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.27 RON 187

5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$93.7 RON 445

7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$89.3 RON 424

2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$544 RON 2,582

86.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$444 RON 2,107

40.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$815 RON 3,874

145.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$643 RON 3,057

75.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,831 RON 13.5K

5.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,851 RON 8,795

-6.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,142 RON 5,425

-0.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.18

462.95%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Iasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Iasi

$444 35.1% 29% $181

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Iasi

$217 17.1% 16.2% $42

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Iasi

$178 14.1% 19.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Iasi

$133 10.5% 2.9% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Iasi

$196 15.6% 64% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Iasi

$61 4.8% 33.2% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Iasi

$35 2.8% 53.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $544 in Iasi. 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 $55 in Istanbul versus $42 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $217 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

290,422

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Iasi 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Iasi

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

Istanbul vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,895 in Iasi. 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 $948 per month in Istanbul and $399 in Iasi. 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 $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,263 in Iasi, 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.