Cost of Living in Bucharest

Hi All ,
I will be offered soon to join IT company in Bucharest , Romania as full time employee . I am an expat and will be relocating from India with my wife and 10 year old kid . Observed Pension fund contribution is 25% and Health contribution is 10% of gross salary . While the income tax is 10% of taxable base .

This makes the take home salary after all deductions will be around 58.5%

I am wondering if expats can with draw “ Pension fund contribution “ made from there gross salary ? If so , when and how can we withdraw and what is the process .

Appreciate your help . Thank you .

http://www.ziare.com/social/salariu/salariul-mediu-net-in-bucuresti-a-ajuns-la-3-882-de-lei-iar-pensia-medie-trece-de-1-500-de-lei-1552911

The average monthly net salary in Bucharest is near 4000ron and not 3016ron. Please verify

I am interested in buying an apartment in pipera lake project. Any information on the neighborhood, prices etc. will be appreciated

@Greg: thank Greg. This useful for me. I am from the Netherland and thinking serious to go Bucarest and stay there. Dont know how to handle things yet but i will. I wish you good luck with your Romanian wife and i agree fully...they are the most beautiful i have ever seen.

Currently saving to buy my own place. With that in mind, 3700-3900RON/month is enough to live a frugal living as a young male. This accounts for renting an apartment(one room close to city center), utilities, eating as I please(I cook my own food, I rarely eat out), gym membership, public transport, cheap clothes from H&M and going out maybe twice per month(nothing too fancy, maybe a beer at the pub or watching the latest Marvel flic at IMAX).

Bucharest is expensive if you don't speak Romanian. You will get ripped off.

#fffff Nobody cares about the Russians but Russia is cornered.Many think Putin runs the show but it's the communists that pressure him.Watch what happens if the U S puts missels within the NATO zone.I'm not pro Russia by any means but it is what it is.

I visit every year for a couple of months. I own a condo in Bucharest and compared to the US I think it’s a bargain to spend time there. Looking forward to spend 6 months there and 6 here.

Honestly I've lived in Bucharest for three years now and my last semester will end in April 2019.Many locals live with family mostly due to it being so expensive, true.I'm used to high prices being from Paris.Bucharest is very expensive but don't take my word for it though.Move to Bucharest and find out how expensive it is.No I don't fly a helicopter.You asked for honest figures and I gave them,get lost.

You'd need $4,000 eur in backup funds and another $2,000 eur income each month for one person.I rent a student apartment 22m2 not in the best area.Here are my expenses,$800 eur rent, $300 eur food " NOT EATING OUT " $500 eur transportation, utilities $400 eur. The figures here don't include going out which I don't.I have another 4 months of college left then I'm outta here,way too expensive.P.S. Yes things are that high in Bucharest.Living outside of Bucharest isn't any cheaper considering the extra cost of transportation.

The cost of transport is higher, because the tram/bus transport and metro are separated. A metro pass is around 70 ron/15 euro(monthly) and a bus pass is 50 ron/11 euro(monthly)...so i think it's fair to say that a regular monthly pass is more like 26 euro.

@Kristian
The net salary for Senior Java Developer it depends on your knowledge.
From what I know you can earn a net salary from 1800 to 4000 Euro/month.

You're right about Net Salary = 0.585*Gross Salary.

Seeing all sort of comments about the average salary and how well you'd be with 2000 euros (also some of the commenters ignoring that people speciy it as gross salary), I can share with you, through the prism of being a non pretentious person, but living for some years in cities like Sydney, Dusseldorf, Brussels and making a comparison, that Bucharest is by no means a 'cheap' city to live in. Add up to that the constant stress of driving in one of Europe's most crowded (and with most traffic jams) city.

I have residency in several other countries, however need to be here for my wife, to be close to relatives (medical condition/chronic anxiety), but I leave outside Bucharest, home office, however I curse each day that I have to go in the city.

@Bogdan, @Anonymous(es), stop bullshitting people. 3200 gross salary is less than I have and it isn't such a big number. My wife drives a 10 year old small sedan, I drive an inexpensive MPV (a SUV let's say), we have a small kid, a mortgage (small house), and believe me, one 3200 gross salary is 'barely decent'. But yeah, for people content with some 40 sqm single bedroom apartment used between visits to the old city center pubs, then you can also save some 500 euro (unless you gamble them).

To foreigners: be also cautious with romanians' fake hospitality and kindness. The distance between apes and romanians is not big and it is most exceptional to find some that are honest and don't lack ethics (an old saying tells us: it doesn't mean you're civilized if you're placing the garbage in the bin with so many people around, it means you're civilized if you're doing that even when you're alone, but still binning your garbage and not just throwing it sideways - check what romanians do when you turn your back for a second or two and you'll have some surprises, at least with some of them).

Another saying of romanians: Romania is such a beautiful country... too bad it is populated (figure that).

I will be staying in Romania for 3 months and a salary of 4500euros net per month. Will that be enough to have a decent lifestlye. Thanks!

@Jack, you can live very, very well on 3200 Euro in Bucharest, with the very real possibility of saving up to 500 Euro if you try.

Hi,

I have been offered a job in Bucharest with a net salary of €900. I only have to spend on food. How much is the average monthly food budget if you eat 1-2 meals at a mid range restaurant per day and the rest for food groceries to be cooked at home? Is €400 enough? Because I plan on saving €500.

Thanks.

The average net salary in Bucharest is at least 3250 ron / 700 euro per mounth. 2700 ron is average for all country.

I'm being offered a job in Bucharest, we are a family of 4, including our big dog, what should be a net salary for an experienced professional? I would appreciate an orientative comment about it, thanks!

I don't see an Edit button, so I forgot to mention that it's worth renting an apartment in the Bucharest center, but not to buy one, as the rent price is only double relative to the outskirts but the buying price is 10 to 20 times larger. However some people really need to have these center locations, especially firms that have small offices in those apartments. As there is a subway, this does not felt as a tragedy for the people living permanently in Bucharest, but it is often described as "hell", or "nightmare" by the Romanians coming from other Romanian cities and towns.

@Dom 2400 EUR in Bucharest is definitely worth the same or more than 3200 EUR equivalent in UK, even in smaller/cheaper towns, let alone major cities, or God forbid, London, where you are almost a busker with this income :)

Hi - ive just been offered a job in Bucharest in an educational institute. They are offering me a salary of 2400 euros a month. I know this seems healthy but I earn 800 more here in England. Could someone tell me how my lifestyle might compare? Thanks in advance

Hi! Friends,
I am a national of east African country. My son intends to study dentistry in Romania- the English programme at any appropriate dental school. I shall be very grateful if someone can advice me how easy it will be for him to get dentist job in Romania after graduating, level of dentist income, and permanent residence permit/work permit. Thank you once again.

What is the cost of a private doctors visit for a check up. Also what is the price of an endoscopic in Bucharest

@Anonymous - barely.
You will need to share a flat with someone. Allocate 100 € for rent, then some other 50€ for utilities sharing (it depends what do you rent..winter heating bill might come 150€).
100€ left to feed yourself with rice and potatoes :)

Hi all,
I would appreciate an honest reply , did somebody know the school of dancesport in Bucharest ? Thank you for your reply

@Albena,

Average salary on the country level is roughly 2000lei (roughly 450€). Average salary for Bucharest is roughly 3000lei (roughly 700€).

So, 1300€ is much above the average and locals which will hear you having this much will think that "you can buy/get everything you want, fancy stuff and so on".
Cost of living here is quite low (food, transportation, etc), you'll be able to have savings too (depends of course how much fancy you'll decide to live :) )

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,