Cost of living in Romania
Summary of cost of living in Romania
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: €2,521 (12,548 lei)
- Single person estimated monthly costs: €1,085 (5,402 lei)
- Romania is the 3rd cheapest country in Eastern Europe (11 out of 13)
- Cost of living in Romania is cheaper than in 79% of countries in the World (48 out of 61)
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RON | EUR | ||
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 47 lei | (€9) | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | 32 lei | (€6) | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 17 lei | (€3.36) | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 8 lei | (€1.60) | |
| 12 eggs, large | 13 lei | (€2.67) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 10 lei | (€1.98) | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 22 lei | (€4.41) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 5.32 lei | (€1.07) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 3.61 lei | (€0.72) | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 4.83 lei | (€0.97) | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 34 lei | (€7) | |
| 2 liters of coca-cola | 11 lei | (€2.14) | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 3.39 lei | (€0.68) | |
| Housing | |||
| RON | EUR | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | 3,649 lei | (€733) | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | 2,461 lei | (€494) | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 580 lei | (€116) | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | 2,439 lei | (€490) | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | 1,664 lei | (€334) | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | 405 lei | (€81) | |
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | 40 lei | (€8) | |
| 40” flat screen tv | 1,483 lei | (€298) | |
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | 486 lei | (€98) | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 62 lei | (€12) | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 43 lei | (€9) | |
| Clothes | |||
| RON | EUR | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | 370 lei | (€74) | |
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | 147 lei | (€30) | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | 353 lei | (€71) | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 416 lei | (€84) | |
| Transportation | |||
| RON | EUR | ||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 121,948 lei | (€24,504) | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 7 lei | (€1.44) | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | 97 lei | (€19) | |
| Personal Care | |||
| RON | EUR | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 25 lei | (€5.01) | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 30 lei | (€6) | |
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | 275 lei | (€55) | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | 23 lei | (€4.63) | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 23 lei | (€4.53) | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 30 lei | (€6) | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 7 lei | (€1.38) | |
| Tube of toothpaste | 17 lei | (€3.37) | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 44 lei | (€9) | |
| Entertainment | |||
| RON | EUR | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 112 lei | (€22) | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | 60 lei | (€12) | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 311 lei | (€62) | |
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 259 lei | (€52) | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 36 lei | (€7) | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 18 lei | (€3.60) | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 12 lei | (€2.41) | |
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | 3,811 lei | (€766) | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | - | - | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 228 lei | (€46) | |
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | 26 lei | (€5.28) | |
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 | 76 |
| 2nd | Timisoara | 65 |
| 3rd | Arad | 55 |
| 4th | Craiova | 54 |
| 5th | Galaţi | 54 |
| 6th | Târgu Mureş | 50 |
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 66% more expensive than in Mendoza
- Cost of living in Cluj-Napoca is 373% more expensive than in Corrientes
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 18% more expensive than in Benin City
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 37% cheaper than in San Luis
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 34% cheaper than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 27% more expensive than in Paramaribo
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 37% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 55% cheaper than in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 54% cheaper than in Boise, Idaho
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 68% more expensive than in Zaporizhzhya
- Cost of living in Bucharest is about the same as in Cluj-Napoca
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 34% cheaper than in Columbia, South Carolina
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 43% cheaper than in Plymouth
- Cost of living in Timisoara is 493% more expensive than in Quilmes
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 28% cheaper than in Split
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 42% more expensive than in Calabar
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 37% more expensive than in Gramado
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 53% cheaper than in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Cost of living in Bucharest is 45% cheaper than in Limerick
- Cost of living in Cluj-Napoca is 305% more expensive than in Enugu