Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Iasi

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.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon 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 Lisbon and in Iasi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Lisbon $2,210
Iasi $1,256

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

Lisbon $3,275
Iasi $1,841

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

Lisbon $4,341
Iasi $2,425

Lisbon costs about 76% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$10.50 RON 50.5

58.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$42.22 RON 203

46.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.18 RON 34.49

58.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.95 RON 14.19

0.68%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.28 RON 10.95

0.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.78 RON 8.54

-2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.20 RON 15.37

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.84 RON 18.44

-13.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.55 RON 7.45

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.31 RON 6.31

45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.97 RON 9.49

-23.35%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.25 RON 15.64

23.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.23 RON 39.57

57.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.59 RON 31.66

17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.07 RON 48.38

76.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.31 RON 6.29

75.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.62 RON 7.77

6.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.68 RON 8.05

10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.12 RON 10.20

22.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.86 RON 4.12

111.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.82 RON 3.96

140.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.10 RON 5.30

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.94 RON 4.51

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.11 RON 29.38

7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.64 RON 31.92

-15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.34 RON 6.43

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.12 RON 10.17

0.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.85 RON 4.09

174.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$27.49 RON 132

62.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.80 RON 3.85

381.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.87 RON 4.18

22.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$8.14 RON 39.10

102.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.92 RON 9.24

14.58%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

19.59%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$25.8K RON 124.2K

49.84%

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

$161 €145

$181 RON 870

-10.99%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$7.28 RON 35.01

152.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$8.20 RON 39.41

299.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$43.94 RON 211

1.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$15.95 RON 76.7

19.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.58 RON 41.24

11.89%

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

$668 €600

$385 RON 1,853

73.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,965 RON 33.5K

152.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$73.6 RON 354

38.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$38.25 RON 184

16.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$92.0 RON 442

7.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$89.0 RON 428

38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$542 RON 2,607

196.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$435 RON 2,090

173.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$836 RON 4,020

236.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$645 RON 3,100

212.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,797 RON 13.4K

180.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,907 RON 9,166

139.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,130 RON 5,429

39.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.18

-46.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 63.5% $755

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 21% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 25.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 7.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 20.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 4.1% $2.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 43% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $542 in Iasi. 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $42 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $215 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

290,422

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,884 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 $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 $668 per month in Lisbon and $385 in Iasi. 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.