Moving to
Romania
Moving to Romania: one person needs about $1,250/month in Bucharest (a family about $3,500), the top personal income-tax rate is 10% — roughly $33,000 take-home on a $60,000 salary — and it offers a digital-nomad visa. Permanent residency takes about 5 years, and citizenship about 8.
Romania is the EU's quiet pick for remote workers: internet among the fastest on earth, very low costs, and a nomad visa that exempts holders from Romanian tax on foreign income. Bucharest is gritty, energetic, and surprisingly green (huge parks and Belle Époque facades beside communist blocks), while Transylvania offers medieval towns and mountains. English is widely spoken among the young, and Romania is now fully inside the EU and Schengen (2025).
Last updated August 2026 · How we calculate this
Romania by the numbers
Relative scores across cost, safety, healthcare, quality of life and connectivity (higher is better).
Why move to Romania
- World-class cheap internet
- Very low cost of living
- Low taxes, EU/Schengen access
The catch
- Patchy bureaucracy and infrastructure
- Bucharest can feel gritty
- Lingering corruption reputation
Take-home pay
Net salary in Romania on a $60k gross, after income tax and social security:
Flat 10% income tax, but 25% pension plus 10% health employee contributions push the real burden toward 40%.
Cost of living · Bucharest
Average all-in monthly cost in USD — estimates for guidance.
Compare cities →Visa & residency
Digital nomad visa requires ~€5,400/month (3x Romania's average gross salary) proven over the prior six months.
Typical income requirement: $6,250/month.
The digital nomad visa (proof of about 3x the average Romanian gross salary in foreign income) is the headline route; otherwise a long-stay D visa plus residence permit via employment or self-employment, leading to permanent residence after five years.
How can I move here? → Do I qualify? →Economy & everyday life
GDP-per-capita PPP of about $51,000 buys a lot locally — Bucharest and Cluj are cheap by EU standards and a tech or remote salary feels generous. The catch is inflation running hot at roughly 7.2%, the highest in this batch, so prices are visibly climbing and rents keep ratcheting up. Life expectancy is 76.5, below the EU norm; the public system is underfunded and informal payments linger, so expats overwhelmingly use private clinics and buy private insurance, which is cheap here.
Healthcare
World Bank data, most recent available — shows how well the system is resourced, not what you'll personally pay.
Safety
US State Department advisory level, country-wide — general guidance, not neighbourhood-specific. Full advisory →
Education
World Bank data, most recent available — learning score reflects harmonised international test performance.
Connectivity
World Bank data, most recent available.
Getting a passport
Compare all countries →8 yrs from arrival (PR after 5); B1 Romanian plus culture/constitution/anthem. Reduced to 5 yrs if married to a citizen.
By residence — confirm with the official authority.
Best time to go
Full climate →Average daily temperature by month · 2023 (Open-Meteo).
Where expats live in Romania
Cost of living by city
All cities →All-in monthly cost for one person — tap a city for the full breakdown. Figures are averages, for guidance.
Living in Romania
Healthcare
Public healthcare is underfunded and slow, so expats rely on cheap, good private clinics (Regina Maria, MedLife) where a plan runs around €30-50/month and appointments are quick.
Money & banking
EU membership makes banking easy: accounts at Banca Transilvania or ING open with a passport and registration, Revolut is ubiquitous, the leu is stable, and cards work everywhere.
Internet
Genuinely elite, with cheap symmetrical gigabit fiber as standard and fast, dirt-cheap mobile data; Bucharest and Cluj have thriving coworking and a real startup culture.
Etiquette & culture
Greetings, tipping and the taboos to dodge — fit in fast. Open the guide →
On arrival
Full essentials →Getting there
Flight distances →Bucharest's Henri Coandă (OTP) is the main hub with wide low-cost and legacy links across Europe, though intercontinental trips almost always route through a Western European or Gulf connection.
Low violent crime and generally safe, though petty theft and ATM scams occur.
Dial 112 for police, ambulance or fire.
Best for remote workers who want EU residency, elite internet, and low costs without Western European prices.
Your move to Romania — roadmap
Key terms
- Effective tax rate
- The share of your gross income actually lost to income tax and social contributions combined — almost always lower than the headline top tax bracket.
- Take-home pay
- What actually reaches your account after income tax and employee social contributions are taken off your gross salary.
- Tax residency
- The country entitled to tax your worldwide income — usually where you spend 183 days or more in a year, though the exact test varies by country.
- Permanent residency
- The right to live and work in a country indefinitely — the stage before citizenship, and those years usually count toward naturalization.
- Cost of living
- The all-in monthly spend for one person — rent, food, transport and bills — in the country's main relocation city.
Moving to Romania — FAQ
Is there income tax in Romania?
Yes. Romania taxes income at a flat 10%. On a $60,000 salary the effective rate is about 45%, leaving roughly $33,000.
Can digital nomads get a visa for Romania?
Yes — Digital nomad visa requires ~€5,400/month (3x Romania's average gross salary) proven over the prior six months.
How do you get residency in Romania?
The digital nomad visa (proof of about 3x the average Romanian gross salary in foreign income) is the headline route; otherwise a long-stay D visa plus residence permit via employment or self-employment, leading to permanent residence after five years.
How much does it cost to live in Bucharest?
A single person needs roughly $1,250/month in Bucharest, and a family around $3,500/month, all-in.
Is tap water safe to drink in Romania?
Yes — tap water in Romania is generally safe to drink.