Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,263 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $33,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,263 in Iasi, rent included.

London $4,048
Iasi $1,263

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,842 in Iasi, rent included.

London $5,903
Iasi $1,842

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $2,420 in Iasi, rent included.

London $7,758
Iasi $2,420

London costs about 220% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Iasi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$10.47 RON 49.73

151.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$41.94 RON 199

158.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$6.95 RON 33.02

54.10%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$2.85 RON 13.53

96.14%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$2.15 RON 10.23

39.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.82 RON 8.66

21.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$3.20 RON 15.19

201.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$3.69 RON 17.51

123.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.54 RON 7.31

27.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.37 RON 6.50

52.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$2.02 RON 9.61

28.22%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$3.32 RON 15.77

61.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$8.45 RON 40.14

55.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$6.65 RON 31.58

65.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.17

$9.72 RON 46.17

82.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$1.37 RON 6.52

131.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.65 RON 7.85

-16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$1.61 RON 7.66

75.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.12 RON 10.06

58.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.79 RON 3.77

115.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$0.90 RON 4.27

97.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.10 RON 5.22

35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.96 RON 4.55

89.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.72

$6.24 RON 29.63

282.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.98

$6.93 RON 32.91

93.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.31 RON 6.20

137.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$2.04 RON 9.71

120.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.80 RON 3.80

416.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$27.14 RON 129

880.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.44

$0.81 RON 3.83

638.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.81 RON 3.85

318.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$8.20 RON 38.97

589.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.86 RON 8.86

18.82%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$28.2K RON 133.8K

35.90%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$26.0K RON 123.7K

57.55%

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

$372 £277

$181 RON 858

106.16%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$7.23 RON 34.34

158.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.12

$8.61 RON 40.91

370.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

$43.50 RON 207

28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

$16.04 RON 76.2

6.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$8.57 RON 40.73

109.45%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$399 RON 1,898

637.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$7,646 RON 36.3K

522.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$73.6 RON 350

57.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.28

$39.27 RON 187

44.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$93.7 RON 445

36.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$89.3 RON 424

72.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$544 RON 2,582

440.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

$444 RON 2,107

409.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,901

$815 RON 3,874

543.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

$643 RON 3,057

499.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$2,831 RON 13.5K

507.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,152

$1,851 RON 8,795

347.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

$1,142 RON 5,425

392.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

7.18

-33.43%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Iasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Iasi

$444 35.1% 80.4% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Iasi

$196 15.6% 54.5% $235

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Iasi

$178 14.1% 55% $218

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Iasi

$217 17.1% 39.9% $144

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Iasi

$35 2.8% 88.5% $270

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Iasi

$133 10.5% 35% $72

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Iasi

$61 4.8% 34% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London 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.

Salaries in London are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $42 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $217 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

290,422

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Iasi 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $1,263 in Iasi – Iasi comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London 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 $2,935 in London.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,946 per month in London and $399 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 $1,263, than in London at $4,048. In Iasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,263 in Iasi to $4,048 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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