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Romania Cost of Living 2026
🇷🇴 3 cities in Romania, sorted by daily travel budget. Not the exchange rate — how cheap it feels on your own income, and where a price becomes a rip-off. Updated October 2026
Cities in Romania compared
| City | Per day | Per month | Local meal | Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇴 BucharestBig city | $148 | $2,349 | lei50 | lei17 |
| 🇷🇴 BrașovTourist · mid-size | $152 | $2,285 | lei45 | lei14 |
| 🇷🇴 Cluj-NapocaMid-size city | $162 | $2,344 | lei50 | lei15 |
Per day = one mid-range night + three meals, a coffee and two taxi rides. Open a city for item-by-item prices, rip-off thresholds and live traveler reports.
Everyday prices in Romania
| City | Beer | 5 km taxi | Hotel night | Massage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇴 Bucharest | lei15 | lei30 | lei290 | lei200 |
| 🇷🇴 Brașov | lei14 | lei20 | lei380 | lei170 |
| 🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca | lei14 | lei25 | lei400 | lei180 |
Romania vs nearby countries
| Country | Per day | Per month | vs Romania |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | $140 | $1,953 | -9% |
| 🇦🇱 Albania | $148 | $2,475 | -3% |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | $150 | $2,445 | -3% |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | $154 | $2,326 | this country |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | $163 | $2,579 | +6% |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | $166 | $2,789 | +8% |
| 🇹🇷 Türkiye | $172 | $2,826 | +12% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $175 | $3,391 | +14% |
Countries in the same region with a similar daily travel budget. Tap a country for its city-by-city prices.
Cluj-Napoca vs New York: item by item
| Item | Cluj-Napoca | New York | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local meal | lei50≈ $10.8 | $20 | -46% |
| Coffee | lei15≈ $3.23 | $6 | -46% |
| Beer | lei14≈ $3.01 | $9 | -67% |
| 5 km taxi | lei25≈ $5.38 | $23 | -77% |
| Hotel night | lei400≈ $86 | $270 | -68% |
| 1-bed rent | lei2,400≈ $516 | $3,300 | -84% |
Same purchase in both cities, converted to US dollars. Daily travel budget: Cluj-Napoca $162 vs New York $467 — about 65% cheaper.
Compare Romania with other cities
Romania travel difficulty
| City | Overall | Rip-offs | Language | Transport | Payments | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brașov | Easy 1.8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Cluj-Napoca | Easy 1.8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Bucharest | Easy 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, 1–5 (closer to 1 is easier). Tap a city for reasons and tips. Full difficulty ranking ›
City guides
FAQ
How much is a daily travel budget in Romania?
With a mid-range room, between $148 and $162 a day depending on the city — about $154 on average. Hostels and local eateries cut that by 30% or more.
How much does a month in Romania cost?
Short-term rental plus living costs runs $2,349–$2,349 by city, about $2,326 on average.
Which city in Romania is cheapest?
By daily budget, Bucharest ($148/day) is the cheapest and Cluj-Napoca ($162/day) the most expensive.
Which nearby country is cheaper than Romania?
Among countries in the same region with similar budgets, Bosnia and Herzegovina runs about $140 a day — 9% less than Romania (about $154).
Is Romania cheaper than New York?
In Cluj-Napoca, a traveler's day runs about $162 versus $467 in New York — roughly 65% cheaper. The gap differs by item, so meals, coffee, taxis and hotels are listed separately above.