Cost of living in Romania
Summary of cost of living in Romania
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: 11,615 lei
- Single person estimated monthly costs: 5,137 lei
- Romania is the 2nd cheapest country in Eastern Europe (9 out of 10)
- Cost of living in Romania is cheaper than in 86% of countries in the World (59 out of 69)
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| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 53 lei | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | 29 lei | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 16 lei | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 7 lei | ||
| 12 eggs, large | 15 lei | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 8 lei | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 21 lei | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 4.88 lei | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 3.66 lei | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 4.36 lei | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 34 lei | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | 8 lei | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 3.79 lei | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | 3,745 lei | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | 2,284 lei | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 638 lei | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | 2,120 lei | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | 1,495 lei | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | 440 lei | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | 41 lei | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | 1,583 lei | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | 468 lei | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 49 lei | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 39 lei | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | 302 lei | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | 190 lei | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | 355 lei | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 405 lei | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 102,208 lei | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 7 lei | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | 92 lei | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 29 lei | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 29 lei | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | 216 lei | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | 25 lei | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 18 lei | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 22 lei | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 8 lei | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | 13 lei | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 48 lei | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 136 lei | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | 66 lei | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 149 lei | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 211 lei | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 33 lei | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 12 lei | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 10 lei | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | 3,079 lei | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 0.37 lei | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 188 lei | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | 23 lei | ||
Moving to Romania with your children?
International Schools in Romania
Map of Cost of Living in Romania
This map shows only the top cities in Romania. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in Romania
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bucharest | 67 |
| 2nd | Timisoara | 57 |
| 3rd | Iasi | 54 |
| 4th | Râmnicu Vâlcea | 53 |
| 5th | Arad | 51 |
| 6th | Craiova | 51 |
| 7th | Galaţi | 51 |
| 8th | Târgu Mureş | 45 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to Romania? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in Romania of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in Romania
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 6% more expensive than in Bogotá
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 31% cheaper than in Athens
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 18% cheaper than in Warsaw
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 8% cheaper than in Porto Alegre
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 68% cheaper than in Zurich
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 25% cheaper than in Mexico City
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 29% cheaper than in Prague
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 40% cheaper than in Kuwait City
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 14% cheaper than in Budapest
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 23% cheaper than in Faro
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 54% cheaper than in Amsterdam
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 27% cheaper than in Pamplona
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 15% cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 35% cheaper than in Rome
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 8% cheaper than in Istanbul
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 47% cheaper than in Hamilton, Canada
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 5% cheaper than in Sofia
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 37% cheaper than in Lisbon
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 36% cheaper than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 24% cheaper than in Naples
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Bucharest costs 10 lei (3 days ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Bucharest costs 26 lei (5 days ago)
- 1 month of gym membership in business district in Bucharest costs 200 lei (5 days ago)
- Ipad wi-fi 128gb in Bucharest costs 2,000 lei (5 days ago)
- Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Bucharest costs 200 lei (5 days ago)
- Public transport in Bucharest costs 80 lei (5 days ago)
- 1 liter of gasoline in Bucharest costs 8 lei (5 days ago)
- Men’s leather business shoes in Bucharest costs 500 lei (5 days ago)
- Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Bucharest costs 600 lei (5 days ago)
- Jeans (levis 501 or similar) in Bucharest costs 700 lei (5 days ago)