There are few better ways to estimate the cost of living in a country than to look at what other people are spending.
And that’s exactly what I will share today – the exact amount my family spends each month living in Romania, plus my estimates on how much YOU might spend (since things are different from person to person).
I used to also have a generic cost of living article sharing my estimates only, but I think that one that mixes both is more useful, as it paints a clearer picture of the situation.
After spending a couple of years by the seaside (check out our cost of living in Constanta here), we came back to my home town, mainly to keep costs low in a shifting economy.
So keep this in mind: We are intentionally spending as little as possible, with plans to reduce our monthly living costs even further this year, despite the sticky inflation. But even so, as you will, the cost of living has increased a lot.
What We Actually Spent – Real Numbers for 2026
We are a family of three currently living in the small city of Drobeta Turnu Severin. Here is what we spent on each category, on average, each month living here:
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Food | €490 |
| Our Son | €270 |
| Utilities & Insurances | €205 |
| Entertainment & Gifts | €62 |
| Car | €50 |
| Misc | €555 |
| Travel | €160 |
| TOTAL | €1,792 |
So, in total, a family of three living in Romania can spend as little as €1,792 ($2,095) per month to live a modest, but decent life here.
Compared to our previous year’s monthly expenses, we are spending 103 Euros LESS each month and I plan to lower these even more (read the section below to see how will that be possible).
Things to have in mind
While perfect for painting a clearer picture of the reality of living in Romania, our expenses above come with a few mentions:
1. Our apartment building was finally connected to the gas system. This meant that we spent a whooping €2,945 for everything (installing new piping and radiators, the gas boiler and the cost of the gas company).
This amount is reflected in the “Misc” section and ends up being €245/month.
2. We also had one-time house-related expenses (changing the living room windows, replacing our freezer than stopped working, and buying our son a bed – he used to sleep on a mattress on the floor, and it was time for a change).
3. We don’t pay rent, nor do we have any mortgage. This is an important mention, as rental costs have increased quite a bit – and I will cover them in my estimated cost of living for expats in Romania below.
(I wrote an article showing apartments for rent in Romania – make sure to check it out to see what to expect to get for the money AND where to look.)
Since this year we don’t expect to have any one-time expenses anymore (although emergencies always happen), we personally hope to be able to spend a lot less each month.
At the same time, these “one time” expenses that expats wouldn’t make up for the rent we don’t pay, so the final amounts would be pretty much similar.
4. Our spending habits and entertainment costs
My family’s particular situation is very likely different than yours. We must tighten our budget because our earnings have been severely impacted recently and we still haven’t recovered (although we’re a bit more optimistic this year).
This means that we’re deliberately keeping our costs as low as possible.
We mostly cook at home but prioritize natural ingredients. Eating out is a rare treat for us – we only ate out at a restaurant a few times in 2025 (excluding our holiday, when it was a daily thing), but we’ve ordered pizza several times throughout the year.
Entertainment costs were kept to a minimum as well, also intentionally – and we tried to go for free things or what we already have (like playing board games) instead.
Overall, I would say that we live an average life, spending like a thriftier middle-class family: nothing too fancy, but not counting every penny either. And despite the high inflation we had this past year and all the unexpected expenses, I think we did OK spending a tiny bit less than the year before.
My estimated cost of living in Romania for expats
While I believe you’ve already learned a lot from our personal living expenses above, I want to take this a step further and help you estimate how much YOU will spend if you decide to move to Romania and live here long term.
The truth is that the country is affordable and you can live on less when compared to other Western ones, but with prices growing steadily over the years, things are changing and costs of living are increasing dramatically.
Overall, many people here in Romania live on less than we spend (check the salaries in Romania article to see how much people are earning), while many others would consider our averages impossible to match.
It all depends on how you choose to live your life and what you’re spending your money on. As an expat living a decent life, here is what I expect you to pay:
- Rent: €500/month
- Food: €400 (including eating out/coffees)
- Utilities: €180/month (including phone, TV & internet)
- Toiletries: €30/month
- Transportation: €20/month (Public transport only – Read my guide to public transport in Bucharest here)
- Health insurance: €70/month (Private)
- Entertainment: €50/month
- TOTAL: €1,250/month
For a couple, the monthly expenses would be €2,000 per month, while a family of three would pay around €2,600 per month (plus at least an additional €400/month for private kindergarten/school per child).
This amount would cover a decent, but pretty basic life and doesn’t include any unexpected expenses (and they always happen) or additional travel and fancy entertainment.
But if you do come here, visit Therme in Bucharest, it’s incredible and worth the extra spending!
Your personal situation also influences these expenses:
- If you are an EU citizen or not (the latter need to go through more bureaucracy and have higher initial costs)
- Whether or not you will be employed here (some employees will cover health insurance, rent, and even some of the food costs)
- And, of course, your spending habits – if you prefer to eat out more often than cook at home, or if you go out to a pub each night, you will spend A LOT more.
If you are planning to move to Romania, I recommend checking the articles below – they will surely come in handy:
- How to Get a Residence Permit in Romania (non-EU citizens)
- How to Get Your Registration Certificate in Romania (EU citizens)
- Romania’s digital nomad visa
- Living Costs for International Students in Romania
- Finding a Job & Working in Romania
- Living in Romania as a Foreigner / Expat: What Is It Like?
What other locals say
As a counter-example, I am sharing a comment posted by our reader Alexandru, who detailed his monthly costs of living in Romania with his girlfriend. Here is what he wrote:
I live in Brasov with my girlfriend in my own apartment and only one of us is working at the moment. I don’t have to pay rent .
The average costs we have per month are (taking into account food, utilities, bills and miscellaneous) are around 2,500 lei per month. This translates to around 500 euros on average per month.
Honestly this is around what you need, in my mind, not only to survive but to live a comfortable life (going out in the week-ends, ordering food 75% of the time from various restaurants and some other activities which include various costs).
by Alexandru, Romania Experience reader
His comment was posted in 2021, so adjusting for the high inflation we had in Romania since (10% per year for the past couple of years alone), the 500 euros/month would now mean around €750/month.
Probably the easiest way to know how much you would spend in your situation would be to visit the country and spend at least a month here in advance. If you are a tourist, I have an article sharing whether or not Romania is cheap to visit as a tourist.
Pin it for later. Thank you!
Final Words
As you can see from our updated monthly expenses, Romania is no longer the super-affordable country it used to be, but remains so if you are a bit careful with how you spend your money – and it’s still cheaper than other Western countries in some key areas, especially rental costs.
With a bit of planning, you could still live on 1,000 Euros per month, even when paying rent – especially if you don’t live alone.
If you’ve lived here or are planning to move, I’d love to hear about your experiences. What’s your budget like? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
I am a journalist and local expert who has been documenting life in Romania since 2013. Based in Constanta (after living in Bucharest and Drobeta Turnu Severin), I provide up-to-date, on-the-ground advice for expats and travelers. My articles are based on real life experiences and plenty of research – from paying Romanian bills to exploring the wild “Rawmania” countryside.
Very interesting. Yes, the storm damage was not anticipated. It seems like you are still able to live very frugally. Here in Japan the cost of food and household goods has also skyrocketed. I think we are spending for two adults about $2,500 a month which includes taxes. If we want to travel somewhere, that costs extra. At least my new used car gets much better gas mileage than the old one, about 50% better. I believe I will be making fewer trips to the gas station. Gasoline costs about $1.08 a liter right now. Can you beat that in Romania?
I think your living expenses in Japan are pretty low. To me, the country always seemed ridiculously expensive. It shows that if you plan things a bit, even a great place like Japan can become relatively affordable.
As for the gasoline… we can’t beat that here in Romania. It’s currently at $1.50 per liter – and salaries here are nowhere near those in Japan. Let’s hope that this year doesn’t come with additional surprises though – I’ve had enough of those for a while! 🙂
You are living very frugally. So another year has gone by. My wife told me $2500 a month just isn’t enough to live in Hokkaido with the increased prices, so we have raised our living expenses to $3000 a month. We also have no rent or mortgage, so rent would be in addition to that. The house is getting old, though. The tiles in the bathroom are popping off the wall faster than I can glue them back on…
The cost of living is going up quickly everywhere. Maintenance eventually comes up and adds to the costs… it’s just how things are, unfortunately.
As for Romania, I still remember a debate our presidential candidates had before the election, and when asked about the “decent” amount of money a family (can’t remember if it was 3 or 4, I think 3) here should have each month, one said 1,965 Euros (I am converting it from Lei) and the other 2,360. That was what made me raise an eyebrow and think: “Are we doing that bad?”
But the truth is that, despite the situation being very difficult, we’re still doing OK and I wouldn’t say that our perception over the quality of life went down as a result of spending less.