Housing is where the contrast with western Europe shows first, and the lei on every price tag does the rest of the work in your head. That is the starting point for the cost of living in Romania: the picture changes between a large city and a smaller one, and between a local salary and a foreign one. This guide uses only official figures, mostly from the EURES portal as updated on 3 July 2026, and tells you where the data stops.
What wages and incomes set the scene for the cost of living in Romania?
The statutory minimum gross wage is 4,325 lei a month for full-time work since 1 July 2026, which EURES converts to about €850. The net minimum is 2,699 lei. In construction the minimum is higher, at 4,582 lei gross, and the agriculture and food industry follow the general figure. Before July 2026 the minimum was 4,050 lei, which is the figure ANAF uses to calculate 2026 contributions for self-employed people.
The national average wage was 9,272 lei gross in February 2026, about €1,820, and 5,557 lei net, about €1,090. The gap between the minimum and the average shows that pay varies widely, so a single average says little about what you will earn. If you plan to earn in Romania, read working in Romania. If you will be paid by a foreign employer, your euro or sterling income is converted into lei, so the exchange rate matters as much as the local price level.
How much does rent cost?
Rent is the biggest item in most budgets. EURES gives average monthly rents for March 2026, in euros.
| Type | Bucharest | Cluj | Iași | Timișoara | Oradea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | €410 to €450 | about €400 | about €350 | n/a | n/a |
| One-bedroom | €510 to €680 | about €600 | about €450 | about €450 | n/a |
| Two-bedroom | €600 to €1,250 | about €700 | €500 to €550 | €500 to €550 | about €480 |
Utilities are usually not included, so add electricity, gas, water, heating and telephone. EURES does not give Brașov rents, and we will not guess them. For lease rules, deposits and notice periods, see renting in Romania.
What about the price of buying?
For new apartments in March 2026, a platform cited by EURES gave about €3,279 per square metre in Cluj-Napoca, €2,364 in Brașov, €2,099 in Bucharest, €2,056 in Timișoara and €1,996 in Oradea. Prices rose because the standard VAT rate went from 19% to 21% and the reduced 9% rate on housing was removed. The purchase process is covered in buying property in Romania.
A budget is only as good as the assumptions in it: city, size of flat, whether you work locally, whether you have children or a car. Moovy can help you turn the official figures into a simple monthly budget for your own situation, with the contributions and taxes that apply to you. It does not give investment or financial advice.
Which costs are set by rule, not by the market?
Some expenses have an official figure, which is useful for planning.
- Value added tax: 21% standard rate and 11% reduced rate in 2026, according to our fact sheets.
- Health contribution (CASS) without income: 2,430 lei for 2026 for a voluntary insured person.
- Local taxes on a home: 0.08% to 0.2% of the taxable value, depending on the municipality.
- Car: registration certificate 76 lei, and the road vignette (rovinieta) for a passenger car with an Euro 6 engine is 254 lei for 12 months, 48 lei for 30 days (official simulator, October 2026). See driving in Romania.
- School: public school is free; some schools offer a free hot meal through a national programme.
- Income tax: 10% for individuals in 2026, plus contributions. For an employee, the rules are in working in Romania.
What does the official data not tell you?
The EURES page, honestly, has no cost-of-living index. It gives rents, property prices and wages; it does not publish prices for groceries, restaurants, transport or energy bills. We have not found a reliable official source for those, so we do not quote them. Use your own check: compare a supermarket receipt, a month of utilities from the landlord and a quote for a gym or a phone plan from the cities you consider. After a month on site, you will have a better budget than any average.
How do you build a realistic budget for living in Romania?
- Start from rent, using the table above and an actual listing.
- Add utilities and the maintenance statement if you rent in a block.
- Add mandatory costs: health cover if you have no employer, taxes if you work for yourself.
- Convert at the current rate and keep a margin, because the leu moves against the euro and sterling.
- Test it during a first month before you sign a long lease.
What mistakes distort the cost of living in Romania?
- Comparing the capital to the rest of the country. Bucharest and Cluj are the expensive end.
- Forgetting taxes and contributions when you are freelance.
- Using old figures. Wages and rents change every year; the minimum wage changed in July 2026.
- Paying in euros. Prices and bills are in lei.
How do rents compare with wages?
No official source we read publishes a rent-to-wage ratio, so we do not quote one. If you want a rough idea, put the average net wage that EURES gives for February 2026 (5,557 lei, about €1,090) beside the rent of a flat you have actually found in the city you are considering, using the table above. Keep in mind that utilities come on top, that an average hides wide differences between sectors, and that your own income may be well above or below it, for example at the minimum wage.
For someone paid in euros or sterling by an employer abroad, the picture is different, but the exchange rate becomes your main risk, as we explain in opening a bank account in Romania.
What does a first month cost in Romania?
Budget for the one-off costs as well as the monthly ones. At the start you may pay a deposit and the first rent, as agreed in the lease; authorised translations of foreign documents, at your own cost; and, if you have no employer, your health contribution, which for a person without income was 2,430 lei for 2026. If you bring a car, add the registration certificate at 76 lei and the technical checks, whose fees we could not confirm. Then come the monthly items: rent, utilities and, if you live in a block, the maintenance statement. A realistic Romania budget for expats starts from these items and adds food, transport and leisure from your own observation in the first weeks.
Where to go next?
If you are still choosing a city, read best places to live in Romania. If you are ready to move, follow the moving to Romania guide. All figures here are 2026 official indications and can change.