Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcea and Iasi

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.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Tulcea $986
Iasi $1,256

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

Tulcea $1,559
Iasi $1,841

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

Tulcea $2,132
Iasi $2,425

Tulcea is about 22% cheaper than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.70 RON 56.2

$10.50 RON 50.5

11.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 RON 223

$42.22 RON 203

9.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 RON 37.83

$7.18 RON 34.49

9.61%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.93

$2.95 RON 14.19

-29.83%

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

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.28 RON 10.95

-7.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$1.78 RON 8.54

-40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$3.20 RON 15.37

-35.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.81

$3.84 RON 18.44

-46.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 RON 7.75

$1.55 RON 7.45

3.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RON 4.99

$1.31 RON 6.31

-20.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$1.97 RON 9.49

-26.90%

Eggs

$3.16 RON 15.17

$3.25 RON 15.64

-2.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 36.11

$8.23 RON 39.57

-8.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 RON 33.10

$6.59 RON 31.66

4.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 RON 43.73

$10.07 RON 48.38

-9.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.48

$1.31 RON 6.29

3.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$1.62 RON 7.77

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.84

$1.68 RON 8.05

-15.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 RON 9.59

$2.12 RON 10.20

-6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$0.86 RON 4.12

-13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$0.82 RON 3.96

-14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.24

$1.10 RON 5.30

-39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.94 RON 4.51

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.87

$6.11 RON 29.38

5.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.44

$6.64 RON 31.92

-4.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.83

$1.34 RON 6.43

-25.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$2.12 RON 10.17

-33.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$0.85 RON 4.09

25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 RON 85.8

$27.49 RON 132

-35.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.09

$0.80 RON 3.85

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$0.87 RON 4.18

-28.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.57

$8.14 RON 39.10

-21.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$1.92 RON 9.24

-9.37%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

-1.66%

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

$24.9K RON 119.6K

$25.8K RON 124.2K

-3.68%

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

$134 RON 643

$181 RON 870

-26.12%

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

$7.76 RON 37.29

$7.28 RON 35.01

6.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.60 RON 41.32

$8.20 RON 39.41

4.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 RON 151

$43.94 RON 211

-28.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 RON 79.8

$15.95 RON 76.7

4.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RON 40.00

$8.58 RON 41.24

-3.03%

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

$319 RON 1,532

$385 RON 1,853

-17.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,187 RON 15.3K

$6,965 RON 33.5K

-54.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 250

$73.6 RON 354

-29.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 RON 152

$38.25 RON 184

-17.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 RON 438

$92.0 RON 442

-0.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 RON 460

$89.0 RON 428

7.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 RON 1,650

$542 RON 2,607

-36.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 RON 1,315

$435 RON 2,090

-37.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,813

$836 RON 4,020

-30.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 RON 2,397

$645 RON 3,100

-22.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 RON 4,759

$2,797 RON 13.4K

-64.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$856 RON 4,112

$1,907 RON 9,166

-55.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 RON 3,115

$1,130 RON 5,429

-42.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

7.18

-4.60%

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

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulcea

$274 27.8%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 58.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Tulcea

$197 20%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 8.9% $18

Eating Out

Tulcea

$169 17.2%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 6.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcea

$150 15.2%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 30.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcea

$122 12.3%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 8.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcea

$48 4.9%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 26.8% $13

Getting Around

Tulcea

$26 2.6%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 39.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

Same time as Tulcea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,707

290,422

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tulcea Iasi 240 km

From you

Tulcea
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

Tulcea vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,479 per month in Tulcea 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 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 $319 per month in Tulcea and $385 in Iasi. 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.