Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zărnești and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,242 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Zărnești vs $1,242 in Iasi, rent included.

Zărnești $889
Iasi $1,242

A couple spends around $1,383 per month in Zărnești vs $1,848 in Iasi, rent included.

Zărnești $1,383
Iasi $1,848

A family of three spends $1,877 per month in Zărnești vs $2,453 in Iasi, rent included.

Zărnești $1,877
Iasi $2,453

Zărnești is about 28% cheaper than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zărnești and Iasi are more affordable than the global median – Zărnești 34% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 RON 42.60

$10.33 RON 48.87

-12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.40 RON 201

$41.64 RON 197

1.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 RON 39.57

$6.99 RON 33.07

19.60%

Cappuccino

$2.18 RON 10.34

$2.94 RON 13.90

-25.85%

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

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.18 RON 10.31

-33.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$1.79 RON 8.45

-32.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$3.08 RON 14.59

-38.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RON 10.79

$3.84 RON 18.18

-40.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.56 RON 7.40

-18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.39 RON 6.59

-23.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.81

$1.98 RON 9.38

-27.27%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.20

$3.29 RON 15.59

-15.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 RON 37.33

$8.20 RON 38.81

-3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 RON 22.42

$6.38 RON 30.17

-25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 RON 49.21

$9.72 RON 46.01

7.00%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.41

$1.39 RON 6.57

-33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.30

$1.69 RON 7.99

-21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.69 RON 7.98

-24.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$2.06 RON 9.73

-37.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.79 RON 3.72

-1.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$0.90 RON 4.25

-42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.16 RON 5.47

-31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.94 RON 4.46

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 RON 24.37

$6.38 RON 30.18

-19.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.09

$6.64 RON 31.40

11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.08

$1.32 RON 6.23

-18.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.12

$2.06 RON 9.75

-37.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

$0.86 RON 4.07

-18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 RON 101

$27.33 RON 129

-21.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$0.83 RON 3.92

3.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 RON 35.26

$8.54 RON 40.38

-12.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 RON 7.16

$1.84 RON 8.72

-17.93%

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

$28.5K RON 134.9K

$28.5K RON 134.7K

0.12%

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

$26.0K RON 122.9K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-1.40%

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

$99.0 RON 468

$183 RON 864

-45.83%

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

$9.28 RON 43.89

$7.45 RON 35.25

24.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.00 RON 37.86

$8.65 RON 40.94

-7.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 RON 179

$44.33 RON 210

-14.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 RON 91.9

$15.90 RON 75.2

22.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 RON 29.55

$8.47 RON 40.07

-26.33%

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

$429 RON 2,031

$420 RON 1,987

2.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,733 RON 36.6K

$7,095 RON 33.6K

9.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 RON 210

$71.7 RON 339

-38.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.26 RON 129

$38.30 RON 181

-28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 RON 326

$92.1 RON 436

-25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 RON 363

$90.2 RON 427

-14.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 RON 2,054

$544 RON 2,576

-20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 RON 1,258

$423 RON 1,999

-37.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 RON 2,727

$886 RON 4,190

-34.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 RON 2,008

$681 RON 3,222

-37.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 RON 8,283

$2,923 RON 13.8K

-40.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,288

$1,900 RON 8,988

-30.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 RON 2,415

$1,104 RON 5,222

-53.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

7.18

4.04%

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

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zărnești

$266 29.9%

Iasi

$423 34% 58.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Zărnești

$182 20.4%

Iasi

$215 17.3% 18.1% $33

Eating Out

Zărnești

$148 16.7%

Iasi

$178 14.3% 20.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zărnești

$116 13.1%

Iasi

$199 16% 71% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Zărnești

$98 11%

Iasi

$132 10.6% 34.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Zărnești

$50 5.7%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 21.8% $11

Getting Around

Zărnești

$29 3.3%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 22.2% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Zărnești 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 run about 116% higher in Iasi, 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 $42.00 in Zărnești versus $42.00 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $215 – making Zărnești the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

Same time as Zărnești

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,926

290,422

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zărnești Iasi 250 km

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Zărnești
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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

Zărnești vs Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Zărnești, $1,242 in Iasi – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Zărnești and $1,863 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zărnești, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Zărnești. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $429 per month in Zărnești and $420 in Iasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zărnești, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Iasi at $1,242. In Zărnești it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Iasi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Zărnești to $1,242 in Iasi. 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 Zărnești. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.