Living in Romania: The Complete Honest Picture

At a Glance

✓ PART 1: 20 GENUINE ADVANTAGES OF LIVING IN ROMANIA

1. +1 EU membership and freedom of movement. Romania is a full EU member, and with Schengen land borders from 2026* you travel across the Union without passport checks. Flying out of Romania, residents move around Europe with no border friction — an excellent base for the whole continent.
2. +2 English is remarkably widely spoken. By residents’ repeated accounts, almost everyone speaks English — even, in one traveller’s words, the hotel cleaner. For newcomers this is a huge everyday relief and a sharp contrast with some neighbouring countries where only the local language is used.
3. +3 Genuinely safe. Residents describe carrying a wallet in a back pocket without worry and walking calmly at night. Street-level crime is low by European standards, and Transylvanian towns in particular feel orderly and secure — a major draw for families.
4. +4 Warm, helpful people. Locals are described as kind and approachable, often offering help unprompted when they spot a confused foreigner. One resident recounts a stranger buying a small gift for his crying child at the checkout — the mentality feels close and generous.
5. +5 Low rents by European standards. A very decent apartment in a new complex with a modern finish rents from around €600/month*; on the coast, an apartment metres from the sea in Mamaia was €350/month*. Rents are among the most accessible in the EU, though they are rising.
6. +6 Affordable property to buy. Purchase prices are comparable to Ukraine and far below Western Europe — an 85 m² coastal apartment was cited at around €95,000*. For buyers, entry costs are modest relative to the rest of the EU.
7. +7 Excellent, cheap public transport. Residents call the system “excellent” and it works smoothly: a single ride is about €0.60* (valid ~1.5 hours with transfers via the app), the metro about €1*, and taxis are cheap (a short hop ~€3.5*). Daily urban mobility costs very little.
8. +8 Cheaper electronics and clothing. Laptops, phones and appliances are noticeably cheaper than in Ukraine, and clothing is the same or less — helped by EU free movement of goods, free-trade zones and transparent VAT. Chinese goods are available locally at online-order prices, instantly.
9. +9 Beautiful, clean Transylvania. The former Austro-Hungarian region — Brașov, Sibiu and their neighbours — is described as strikingly beautiful, clean and civilised, with excellent roads and no beggars or visible homelessness. For many residents this is the real Romania that overturns old stereotypes.
10. +10 Sunny, choose-your-own climate. Transylvania is sunny and mild, with mountains tempering the summer heat that bakes Bucharest. Because coast, mountains and plains are only a few hours apart, you effectively choose your climate by choosing your city.
11. +11 Cultural and mentality proximity. For those from Eastern European or Orthodox backgrounds, Romania feels familiar: shared values, hospitality and historical memory mean far less culture shock than a move to Western Europe or Asia.
12. +12 A business-friendly, developing economy. Romania is one of the region’s most promising economies, drawing large foreign investment (around €11 billion in 2022*) and a high volume of company registrations. Owners can run many costs through the company and use favourable regimes — an attractive setup for entrepreneurs.
13. +13 Great food culture and markets. Markets and supermarkets are full: plentiful meat, a huge cheap selection of marinated brynza and olives, celebrated bakeries, and festive cozonac. Many dishes feel familiar to Slavic palates (sarmale, for instance), and the choice surprises newcomers.
14. +14 Romanian opens the Romance languages. Romanian is Latin-based and close to Spanish and Italian, so learning it makes those languages easier later — and it is spoken by around 28 million people across Romania and Moldova.
15. +15 Russian-speaking access via Moldovans. Many professionals — doctors among them — speak Russian, often because they are from Moldova. For Russian-speaking newcomers this creates practical points of contact that ease everyday problems.
16. +16 Lighter everyday bureaucracy than Western/Southern Europe. Residents find day-to-day officialdom simpler than in France, Spain, Italy or Germany, with fewer hoops for many routine matters. Refugee protection status, in particular, was described as quick and low-friction.
17. +17 Rising wealth and visible development. The abundance of premium cars (“a country of BMWs,” plus Mercedes, Jaguar and more) signals more money than outsiders expect. Governments visibly invest in public spaces — decorated cities, well-kept parks, even a large free zoo in Craiova.
18. +18 Good motorways and legendary drives. Main motorways are good quality — you can cruise at 130 km/h — and the scenery includes the Transfăgărășan, one of the world’s most beautiful roads. Several residents say the roads were far better than they expected.
19. +19 A well-connected regional base. Romania sits centrally in the region with easy borders: one resident drives to Odessa in about 10 hours with smooth crossings. It is a practical base for keeping ties to home while living in the EU.
20. +20 Diverse nature and destinations at home. Black Sea beaches (Mamaia), the Carpathians and skiing, fairy-tale castles and the Danube Delta mean holiday variety without leaving the country — a genuine quality-of-life bonus for residents.

✕ PART 2: 18 REAL DRAWBACKS OF LIVING IN ROMANIA

1. −1 Low local wages. Service-sector pay is around €700/month*, and residents are blunt that one local salary in the €500–900 range* will not comfortably support a person alone, let alone a family. Supporting a household as one resident does typically takes two earners — or non-local income.
2. −2 The cost of living is converging with the EU. The “cheap Romania” idea is only half true today. Groceries cost roughly the same as in Ukraine, with some items (eggs, cola) dearer, and rents are rising. Everyday food shopping is no longer a bargain.
3. −3 Medicines and toiletries are pricier. Residents found some medicines about three times the price they paid at home, and creams and personal-care items 30–50% more*. It is a real, recurring budget line that surprises newcomers.
4. −4 Weak medicine outside the big cities. By resident accounts, healthcare quality varies sharply by region — “better not to get sick” outside a major city such as Bucharest. Those who can often travel home or to a big city for serious care.
5. −5 Banking is slow and painful. Opening an account can be an ordeal: one freelancer was turned away or refused by several banks (in-person only, multi-hour queues, demands for an employment contract and apostilled translated documents) before BCR finally opened one — after another week’s wait. Expect slow, branch-heavy processes.
6. −6 Hard to find local work without Romanian. Without the language, jobs are largely limited to English-speaking IT and international-company roles. Most professional and service positions require Romanian, which — combined with low pay — makes local employment unattractive for many newcomers.
7. −7 The language is hard (and, to some, unappealing). Despite its Latin base, residents find Romanian genuinely difficult, and some admit little motivation to learn it. The barrier is real, especially for older newcomers, even if the young pick it up quickly.
8. −8 Small towns lack community and culture. Beautiful and safe as they are, smaller Transylvanian towns can feel short on events, scene and professional community — “boring”, in one resident’s word. For ambition, networking and scale you gravitate to Bucharest.
9. −9 Limited regional air connections. Smaller cities can lack convenient airports — Brașov long had none, forcing a drive to Bucharest to fly. For anyone who travels often, getting to a hub is a recurring hassle.
10. −10 Bucharest has real downsides. The capital brings heavy traffic, summer heat and winter cold, and — in places — grime, patches of a post-Soviet feel and visible homelessness. Much historic fabric was lost and replaced by monotonous blocks, so the city divides opinion.
11. −11 Petty corruption is still encountered. Old habits persist in places: one resident describes negotiating a roughly $50 roadside “settlement” with police after a traffic violation, and notes it can be easier to be leaned on as a foreigner. It is not universal, but it happens.
12. −12 Slow bureaucracy and the “it-depends-on-the-official” factor. Processes can be slow and inconsistent, with outcomes varying by office or clerk. Navigating officialdom takes patience and local know-how that, by Western standards, shouldn’t be necessary.
13. −13 Eating out adds up. Restaurants run about 30% dearer than in Ukraine, with coffee around €4 in restaurants (€3 in cafés)*. Quality is uneven — some places are excellent, others not — so dining out is a considered expense rather than a casual habit.
14. −14 Ready-made food is limited and “specific”. The selection of prepared meals is smaller than newcomers are used to, and much of it is distinctly Romanian in style — not to everyone’s taste. Most residents end up cooking more at home.
15. −15 Company accounting has traps for foreigners. Running a Romanian company well needs an accountant who understands both Romanian and your home-country rules; a purely local one may miss cross-border obligations. Note too that you generally cannot be the sole owner-and-only-worker — at least one employee must be registered — and payroll taxes are significant*.
16. −16 Uneven urban aesthetics. One resident’s first impression was “a country of hanging wires” — tangles of cabling strung between buildings — and there is a visible gap between spruced-up central streets and plainer residential areas.
17. −17 The currency is the leu, not the euro. Unlike Bulgaria, Romania has not adopted the euro, so eurozone visitors and earners deal with conversion and a fluctuating rate (≈5 lei per euro*). A minor but persistent friction for budgeting.
18. −18 Some familiar products are hard to find. Staples that Eastern Europeans expect — buckwheat, for example — can be scarce, sold only in tiny packs or in specialty “Eastern” shops. Minor, but a recurring small annoyance when settling in.

THE HONEST VERDICT — WHO DOES ROMANIA SUIT?

Methodology and data note

First-hand accounts reflect residents’ personal experience (2023–2026) and are subjective; figures are indicative, marked with “*”/”≈”, and converted at leu ÷ 5 ≈ euro. Tax, banking and residence rules change — verify decision-critical details with official sources or a specialist adviser. This material is for information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice.