Cost of living comparison
Romania is 37.6% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 28.8% less in Romania
- Groceries
-
pay 39.4% less in Romania
- Transportation
-
pay 11.6% less in Romania
- Housing
-
pay 60.9% less in Romania
- Childcare
-
pay 64.0% less in Romania
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.2% less in Romania
- Clothing
-
pay 9.2% less in Romania
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Romania.
If you lived in Romania instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 28.8% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$8.56
RON38.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.86
|
$6.33
RON28.79
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$1.72
RON7.81
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.61
|
$1.43
RON6.50
|
|
pay 39.4% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.75
|
$1.08
RON4.90
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.26
|
$3.79
RON17.25
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.55
|
$5.46
RON24.84
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.97
|
$2.83
RON12.87
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.90
|
$2.70
RON12.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$0.47
RON2.15
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.66
RON2.99
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$0.65
RON2.94
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$0.85
RON3.86
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$0.38
RON1.71
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$0.41
RON1.86
|
|
pay 11.6% less for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.26
|
$5.64
RON25.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.60
|
$20.73
RON94.33
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,209.92
|
$25,159.13
RON114,484.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$6.39
RON29.10
|
|
pay 60.9% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.83
|
$8.45
RON38.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,149.79
|
$363.94
RON1,656.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$848.38
|
$266.85
RON1,214.28
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.52
|
$107.36
RON488.55
|
|
pay 64.0% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,043.98
|
$405.62
RON1,845.72
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,039.50
|
$6,284.14
RON28,595.34
|
|
pay 49.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.95
|
$2.01
RON9.16
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$2.20
RON10.02
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.68
|
$5.30
RON24.11
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.12
|
$37.40
RON170.19
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.83
|
$6.19
RON28.16
|
|
pay 9.2% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Romania
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.44
|
$57.67
RON262.42
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.50
|
$34.90
RON158.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.35
|
$69.76
RON317.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.02
|
$80.53
RON366.44
|
|
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