Cost of Living in Bucharest

Hello everyone!
I would appreciate an honest reply... I've got an offer from multinational company in Bucharest. Gross salary is 1,300 Euro. Is that enough money to have a decent life? Thank you very much in advance.

@Filip Stojkovski,

Didnt know about 16% applied to nonEU, could be.
Indeed most companies offer private Medical Care, i have one of these and its considered a very good one. Still, unfortunately sometimes there are surprises that you cant benefit from this one (like the example of finding no free spot for your child to be checked-in, when real signs of emergency is seen).

I hope after the current political party finishes their chaotic and careless governance, in 2020, things will start improving. By then - i dont believe improvements will be seen regardless the fact that i am an optimistic person

Hi all. Will share my story to whomever wants to move in to Bucharest. I am Romanian.

I moved to Bucharest a year ago, came here to same salary (NET) i had in another EU country. Married, with 2 small children (a newborn and a 3y.o. one).

- In IT sector (up to PM role if I am not mistaken) you have 0% income tax, if your university diploma is recognized by the Romania's Gov. I finished my studies in another country, so I had to get that paper 'confirming' my degree in Romania. After that I had 0% income tax. Note that you still pay 16% for Social/Medical Assurance.
- I struggled finding an apartment to rent, considering I was searching in a specific district of 1Mai as to be close to the chosen kindergarten I wanted by child to go to (public one). I rented a decent 1BDR flat for 400EU/month unfurnished, 60sq.m. I dis-considered from the beginning the old buildings with risks to collapse or to crack after the 1st earthquake (that there are published listings of these buildings).
- My child loves the kindergarten (public one) and so do we, as parents. Operating hours 07:30 - 17:00. We pay 3EUR/day for food (breakfast, lunch, fruit/snacks close to end of day). Also we pay 1EUR/week for consumables (chalk, pencils, napkins and things alike). Also we paid 50EUR/year to the classroom budget (money from here went/go to some extra activities organized and to buying extra toys; this money is with one of the parents). All these small fees are kind of frustrating, but i decided to not fight the system (its same at all kindergartens here).
- I use only the public transportation. To be more exact - the Subway, which is good, because here you know how much time it will take you to destination in most of the cases. Subway monthly pass is 15EUR. People having cars I hear often complaining on the traffic in the city (Bucharest is in the top 10 in the WORLDS on traffic problems).
- Cost of living is really cheap. Some numbers are even cheaper than what Numbeo displays above. Examples: 1l milk you can get for 3RON and not 4RON at hypermarkets; I pay 2EUR/month for a postpaid mobile subscription which include a package of 200 national minutes and 50GB Mobile Data (yes, 50GB for 2EUR; I caught a Christmas offer like this).
- I never had any problem with the locals. I had even walks alone at 1AM night without any issue. But note that this depends on the district and even on the area of the district. The North side of the city is in general considered more green, more rich, less robberies/fights/street bulling incidents.
- There are many parks and children playgrounds in Bucharest (at least in the North side of it). Plenty of children present when its warm enough outside. This is very good for your own children to learn socializing and interacting with others.
- The locals warmness is 50/50. Half of them are cold and unpolite, the other half is warm and polite. I think this might also differ based on how do you look like.
- The level of bureaucracy is high and gov institutions will make you running for papers from office to office and from dept to dept when you need some kind of legal document. You'll stay in lines many times, because the online registration/application possibilities are limited.
- Bucharest is a highly polluted city. Especially if you want to stay in the city center. Search online and you'll find a map of the pollution per city areas. Was it just a coincidence or not, in the 1st half a year my entire family (especially children of course) got different illnesses related to viruses and bacterias, much more than what we were facing before coming to Bucharest.
- The politics and the law changes made in Romania are concerning. Mass Media is free to talk, the politicians just do not listen. After you will move here - start watching the news and you'll understand me.
- The Medical Care system (both public and private, but especially the public one) is very very bad, and i doubled the 'very' by purpose. You need a vaccination for your child (even a MANDATORY one) - make sure you start looking for it well in advance because you might not find one. It happened to me. Your child needs hospitalization in a PRIVATE hospital due to sickness - you might not find an empty bed for him. It happened to me and my child went to a public one. Be ready to stay for hours in line at public hospitals when having an emergency with your child, so many people seem to have problems. It happened to me, with my very dehydrated and falling-asleep child on hands. Be ready to not see soap and toilet paper in public hospital rooms. My child stayed in one like that.

You can see the CONS and PROS i listed above. Though I like Bucharest and Romania, nowadays I start thinking to move away from here due to the Medical Care frustrations. I do not feel my children safe here and I feel them being exposed too much to risks while being so young.

@Nitin,

As I mentioned previously is purely depending on your lifestyle. But if you already have accommodation and car, you can save even 13 000 per month. Or even 15 000 if you don't go out, you don't buy clothes etc.

@Jim,

You will pay 32% taxes on those 40k per month. You would be able to live comfortable, regarding housing you can check following website : https://www.imobiliare.ro/ .
Toyota Corolla starts from 72 000 lei , you can check toyota.ro.

Hi

How much Money i can save,if lived alone in Bucharest and get the 17000(leu) Net salary after tax .
Most of the time cook myself indian food .
Company will give me company car and mobile with international roaming and accommodation .

Hi All,

I have got a job offer at bucharest,Romania with a monthly Net salary of 4500$ form a reputed USA based Mnc in IT sector. I'm not clear whether it will be wise decision to accept it or not. What will be the taxation on this(is there any extra other tax on net salary(in hand salary)) and the cost of living with wife and 2 kids (4 year old and 1 year old)

Kindly Suggest me .....

for Tural: yes you can find jobs with 4h or 6h per day also you can find weekend jobs it's pretty easy few tips and tricks :the public transportation is at half price for students also the rail inside the country is free for students and you can stay at the university campus with few roommates (the conditions are not to great) where the accommodation fee is almost 50 euro per month so don't worry it's pretty cheap.

As a guy, who has just come back from vacation in Bucharest, I've to say that their taxis are just phenomenal. 5 USD and you have a night ride from one end of Bucharest to another.

Cheers from Poland

Hello everyone,

Planning to move to Bucharest.Would 3000 RON be enough money to live here ?

My rent would be 900 RON.
I don't plan to spend money in pubs and i will cook my own meals.
1 pack of cigarrettes every 2 days.(225 RON)

I apreciate verry sincere answers so please go ahead and speak your mind. Thanks.

@Dan

This prices are average, you can notice that there is also listed higher and lower price.
That's why also the income is around 2500 Lei, this is what the majority in Bucharest is taking.

If you are taking higher salary of course there are places to spend your money, there are fancy restaurants where dinner will cost you 300-400 lei, there is also premium black angus beef that is 80 lei per kg.

If you want to buy eggs with the bio sign you will pay 12 lei for 6 eggs. But also you can go at the local green market and buy from the producers for half price.

Taxi indeed is not the best but u get what you pay, as you said if you want better service you will take black cab.

Important is that is a big city and there is plenty of choice depending how "deep is your pocket".

By the way my Email is
Eddiemonfared@Gmail.com
if you'll so.

@Mann: You want a job and you can't speak Romanian? You can hardly find a job if you are a local! And btw, what are you doing here if you are from the UK?
There is no need for cab drivers unless you have your own car, companies are full and you hardly make anything unless you stay out all rush hours.
A job at a grocery store will not be more than 1100 RON ( 900 in cash and 200 in food stamps ) for 12 hour shifts+weekends frequently but you can have discounts on products in the evenings, that kind off money doesn't even pay rent and even with a roommate you'll have to give off half and still have to pay utilities so I don't know how you'll survive with ~50 euro/month. And you still need to know the language fairly well cause or else they can easily find someone who does.
You can try game testing which is also a minimum wage job with 8 hour shifts, check EA and Ubisoft. Maybe pray they raise the minimum wage but they can either make the contract part time or give you a collaboration paper in which they state you work 4 per day and pay you marginally less than minimum wage.

Hello everyone,
The data for Bucharest are quite accurate, except the average monthly salary (Net After Tax). Statistically (numbers given by National Statistic Institute) in 2016, the average net income is estimated at 2813 lei --> approx. 30% higher than on this site. In December 2015 the average net income in Bucharest was 2.958 lei (657 euro).

Notes on income. It's always hard to state what is necessary, minimum, good, bad, as people have quite different needs. I'd say 500EUR after rent would get you good food (cooking at home), going out about once-twice a week (I mean proper out- meals/cocktails), OK clothing (you'll have to look around for good prices though), a day trip once a month- hiking/ seaside whatever (incl. driving for transport) and all the rest (utilities, phone etc). If you want to save, have credit or mortgage to pay etc. you'll need extra. If you have interests/ hobbies that require spending - e.g. music records and books, swimming (for some reason, swimming is expensive in Bucharest)- you'll require extra (or cut down somewhere else). If you have dependants, you'll obviously need extra - this is all for single.
@Rahul. Gross or net? Net is about 70% from gross. The employer would pay extra taxes for you, but you wouldn't hear about these in a job offer.

#Joe Schmoe:
this is my apartment http://olx.ro/oferta/proprietar-inchiriez-ap-2-camere-zona-dacia-eminescu-bucuresti-ID624J6.html
downtown piata Romana, apartment with 2 rooms, floor 2/6 , 40 sqm, renovated, furnished , equipped, air conditioning system summer / winter , washing machine , balcony.
subway access 10-minute walk.
Suitable for one person or a couple. I prefer no pets.
Rent 300 Euro / month

Hi ! Be aware some taxi drivers take advantage of tourists and ask for a tip apart from the fee shown on the meter.

Hi guys,

I received a job offer
Salary: 490 Eur net

Rent allowance for 2 year – 200 euros/monthly.

I am married,so would be a good offer?

@Paul, you don't understand - 600 eur is after taxes, not after rent.
The rent is at least another 200. That leaves you with 400 for living. You can survive with that but you would be far from happy.

Many thanks for your answer #George

I very good professional opportunity and hard decision.

But, I know the salary is shit.:/

Hi guys,

I received a job offer to work as a Helpdesk and, I have no Ideia about the live in the city.

I am married and the company is offering "1000 euro gross per/month" (30% more than average salaries in Romania)
Rent allowance for 2 year – 200 euros/monthly.

Is that ok? Would we have a good life in the city?

If you bring 1000 us dollar with you to romania...is there better exchange rate you can get through black matket....how much is it. Are there safe places to sell dollars...is it ok sell dollars there.

Hany

Normal living/2 persons costs you 1000 Euro.
Rent (suburbs - medium center):
1 bedroom 150-250 Euro
2 beds 200-300
3 beds 270-400

Beer 1 Euro/bottle (shop), 2-3 Euro Pub

Monthly bus pass - 15E
Monthly subways pass - 15E

This site is ~80% accurate.

2200 Euro in Europe is the equivalent of 1000E in Bucharest. Average salary is ~500E
Daily life is very secure. If don't looking for trouble and take care of your properties, than for sure you will enjoy a great life there. Yes, avoid the suburbs and gypsies and don't start debating on nationalism or religion as in romanians are considered to be very heart feeling and a proud nation. Either you are their best friend in most of the cases, either they will be very racist.
People are nice and warm and yes, women are to be considered very beautiful. Be careful though, women are smart, independent and are aware of their charm. Not every good looking bimbo is a one night stand ;).
Good luck at work back there and enjoy the holidays & night life.

So, im moving to bucharest for work starting May, im a mid senior Engineer & i have an offer from a multinational well known company, so how much should i ask for ? knowing that im married & not looking for a medium or a low budget life

If I return back in Romania can I find a job to pay me as much as my employer pays me in present?
So that would be 20000 roni/month.
In addition to that I get here medical, dental, vision insurance,pension benefit, paid most of it by my employer.
What position do I need to apply for?
When I left Romania, more than 20 years ago, I was a manager(at corporate level).

Thanks,

Depending of his experience, for Junior would be 2000-3000 for mid to senior 4000-5000 RON.

@TekGuru

No one dreams about the american culture. Not even romanians.

I am planning to to move to Bucharest from the UK in about 4-6 weeks time. I do not believe all the negative stories about being robbed and so it will not stop me. I work for myself and as such I have a good income and with the cost of living in Romania, I will have a good life there. I have lived and traveled all over the world and every country has its own problems with crime. I am not put off in the slightest about this. Initially I will be staying in a shared apartment found on the airbnb site. Bucharest has some beautiful places to stay and I am looking forward to living in Romania and experiencing the people, culture, entertainment and lifestyle. Thank you.

I live in Bucharest, and i am romanian, i can tell you, that the rent cost dispayed here is bullshit, you can find for 700lei a mounth a decend 1 bedroom with kitchen and bathroom where only u will stay and for the same price can bring somebody with you and split the cost, utilities are a little expensive sometimes u can almost pay the rent money for them, people...well this is the tragic part, if u are a foreigner there are all the chances to be robbed pe a gypsi althought they are a minority,the most robberies,killings,rapes are done by them) they are numerous no school no work, no respect to life, if u come here to work on minimum wage, even having a house so no rent involved...you are screwed, not medium salary is anough, you will need to have somebody to share things or you will be working just to have a roof over you-r head, and food. Bucharest is famous for the most beautifull girls/women in the world, changes are u will fall in love 10-15 times a day. Most of us hate the country, well not the country...the corrupt, mind-less creatures that rule the country. And the respounse, yes if u own a house and have 1000$ u can a pretty good life, the auto insurence depends on you-r agge is not that expensive, with 1000$ u have anough to not care for the full mounth, depending on how much money do u spend. You can afford going on vacantions.

What a bunch of fuckin' losers!
Romania is a beautiful country, people are ...well, people there are great people and not so great but where is it different? I read raju's comments he's an indian loser that speaks outa' his ass, ignore him. I also read"Just a Romanian who lived abroad the last 25 years " comment ... just another loser that couldn't make it in Romania the same he didn't make it abroad, if he would've he would've been gotten over it.
Keep in mind that there is no perfect spot in the world, if it would exist everyone would be there and no one anywhere else, if you can make it in India/US/Romania ...you will make it anywhere it is JUST UP TO YOU!

There so such investor program in Romania. What you want you can find in Bulgaria, where by investing 500 000 eur you can get citizenship, or Hungary where you can buy Government Bonds for 250 000 eur and you can get one. More details you can find online.
Seems like Romania is not the right country for you :)

For all you losers that are looking for young Romanian girls to have a good time with: hit it!!! stay in your country and don't bother coming to Romania for your sick fun! Romanian girls are smart, beautiful, and don't give a crap about your money, trying to impress them, just because you're a bunch of losers in your own country and nobody gives a crap about you! Stay home and go f yourselves!!!!

Hello, I am coming to bucharest in may just to have fun. Whether it is right place to come for. Currency is Ron or lei. What is those equivalent to us dollar. How r the club's and nightlife. Is it safe

I have a cyber friend.She live in Bucharest. We chat with each other everyday. But in one week I don't hear any about her. I She is very special friend to me. How can I find her in Bucharest. I only know a part of her name, her birthday and her old job.

Hello guys, i have been offered a job for around 900-1000 euro in a HR position. I am still negotiating the salary, but can you guys give me an idea of how much i should ask for? Do you guys also have any links to student/international house share websites/agencies?

for how much a foreign student can live in bucharest atleast ..it includes accommodation,food,transportation,utilities and other things

I'm from asia and i have CWI certificate for welding inspector, is it easy for me to have a job in bucharest

Hello what is the possibility of a foriegn doctor opening a private family practice in Romania. What is the salary?

@Mercapide

On those 12 000 lei you will pay just small tax because as developer you wont pay same taxes like in the other domains, I dont know if this law is applicable for foreigners working in Romania, anyway even if you pay all the taxes you will have around 8500 net salary.
For senior developer the salaries are 6000 lei and up. This is more than enough , you can afford luxurious living in Bucharest. On average you need around 3000-4000 lei for decent living everything more that that is extra. Especially as single guy.

@carlo , you'll not friendly good looking girls in Bucharest unless you have a Ferrari and you want to take them in a trip to Monte Carlo without expecting anything. Most of girls here with a universitary degree earn about 1000 usd per month and they are thinking to estabilish a family not to have an adventure with someone who will live the country by the end of the weekend. I can recomand you small towns in abandoned places . There you'll find people very friendly with foreign visitors.

I am planing to visit Bucharest this summer .i have heart that the lady are very beautiful and very friendly with foreigner is that true ?

I lived in Romania for 3 years (between 2008 and 2011), all I can say is, if you are in your 20s and want to experience something different, you can come to Bucharest for few years. But keep in mind that you are coming here to enjoy life so dont accept anything less than 1000 EUR per month/net or you will share a poor life with rest of the Romanians. For those who have a kid and wants to move to Romania to live with their family. Please do not accept any offer which is lower than what you are getting in your own country. You are basically making a big sacrifice to change your life and you dont want to do it for free. I would say if you have a kid and your wife wont be working you should ask minimum 3000 EURO per month (net) and you will have the same standard as a Romanian couple who works in a very good job but still dreams about living in a first class country. So if you ask me again how much I would ask if they call me back, it would be minimum 3000 euro (but keep in mind that I am single). Less than this amount it doesnt worth.

I visited friends last May (2013). The girls and parties being good was true. Bucharest is like most Big cities (which include London and NYC), there are two prices - local and tourist/luxury. I need some hair gel and a hair studio offered "the best" for 20 Euros. I bought some cheap brand (which was sub-par but did the job as a temp replacement) for a minor amount of Leu's. I stayed at a 4 star hotel and it costed next to nothing by Canadian standards. Only the plane there cost real money. Taxis will rip you off unless you are with a local (which I mostly was). Funny thing about taxis ripping me off when they did - the amount in Cdn $ is minor. If they had been honest I would of tipped (as we do here) and the tip would of been better than their rip off amount. Crime doesn't pay.

To Joseph
If you want to have international standards, you will need a lot of money for the school. Probably you will choose a private school for your kid. These school are really expensive (for example the English School in Pipera is more than 18.000€ per course to pay all in September...)
for a public it would be enough with 500e per month.
Think that your standards probably are different than the standards for the majority of Romanians, so be careful with the recommendations of the people... My experience after lining in Bucharest for more than 6 years...

Bucharest is one of the most controversial cities. Compared to other major capital cities of Europe, Bucharest is safe, crime rate being about 30%, meaning that 70% of the city is safe to walk at time of the day. Keep away from the boroughs of Ferentari, Colentina and Traian! If you keep calm and you pay attention to what you do and what you're saying, you'll never have a problem with the gangs. If not... don't worry, we have great funeral services. like ultimuldrum.ro
Before you arrive, I recommend you to get informed about the prices. Search online for the cheapest taxi fares and car rentals. 3-4*s hotels are clean, cheap and easy to book.
We have one of the best night life, excellent food and the most beautiful girls in the world!
Almost everybody knows how to say Hi in english and we are very friendly.

Realy many thanks for you filip

Please if the company gave me the accommodation as a free so how much euro can cover the school of my son 4 years old , my wife and me to live comfortable
Thank you for your concern

The average salary in Bucharest is almost 500euro, a rent for 1 bedroom in a decent area is around 200euro or less. The monthly ticket for transportation for metro is 15euro. The petrol here is 1,5 euro/liter. Cable/internet is 15euro. The clothes are the most expensive thing here. The restaurants are not expensive but having only 500euro income it will not let you this as an option, more of your meals will be home cooked food.
If the income is more than 500e, around 1000e you will do good.
The city is one of the most safest city in Europe, you will not see in other places as much women walking alone in the streets in the middle of the night as you will see here and this tells all.

Of course that she can, most of the people in Bucharest live with 400 $, but this is just basics so with this money you can not afford a lot of things. I think for descent living you need 500 eur at least. This is in case you have your own apartment/house.

To see cost of living on this site, you need to compare with another city to see the monthly figures the site has.

It shows Brasov as 1600e for example. But this chat discussion to date is only about Bucharest. The lest popular of many Romanian cities for leasure living but the best by a factor of at least 2 for earning money.

Brasov, Sibiu and CLuj for example are considered superior if you speak of air cleanliness, cost of living, lack of car horns & over-stressed, busy people.

Very accurate site data at 2013 prices I see. A good resource. Personally, I know you can live on half of the monthly 1600e quoted for Brasov, but only if living as a local, not as a tourist. I know of respectable single mothers able (just) to raise one or two children on an income of 500e including rent of 200e in an inner centre basic apartment. Of course, 1000e would be better but I speak of what I have seen work.

White Mountain Property (home finders in Brasov & Bucharest).

I am a foreigner who has lived here in Bucharest for three years now. It is a wonderfully interesting, fun city with lots of charm and fun things to see and do.

However...... The people in Bucharest are among the most shallow, self centered, arrogant, status mad, money and image mad, rude and crass you will ever meet. I say this as an experienced traveller who has lived and worked in many countries.

The mentality of the Bucharest people is disgusting, money mad, aggressive, "me first", get out of my way, rude and nasty. Not a nice people. But a beautiful city and a great place to live for a few years.