Moving to Romania from Bulgaria
What to Expect
Considering a move from Bulgaria to Romania? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Bulgaria to Romania, you would find that Romania is 0.8% more expensive than Bulgaria overall. A BGN130,000 salary in Bulgaria would need to be roughly RON358,000 in Romania to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Romanian.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Bulgaria and Romania.
What does your salary buy?
BGN130,000 → RON358,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Romania
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 4.4% less
Groceries
pay 16.5% less
Transportation
pay 0.8% less
Housing
pay 6.5% more
Childcare
pay 17.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Romania cost about 2% less than cities in Bulgaria.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Bulgaria to Romania.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Romania compared to Bulgaria.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Bulgaria performs better than Romania across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Romania performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Bulgaria generally does better on infrastructure, though Romania leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Bulgaria generally does better on employment & economy, though Romania leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Bulgaria generally does better on family life, though Romania leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria (2016), National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sofia | Bucharest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sofia | Bucharest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/23°F (2.2°/-4.9°C) | 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) |
| Feb | 41°/27°F (4.9°/-2.9°C) | 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) |
| Mar | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.3°C) | 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 60°/41°F (15.7°/4.8°C) | 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.3°/9.0°C) | 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) |
| Jun | 74°/54°F (23.5°/12.1°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 79°/57°F (25.9°/13.8°C) | 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 79°/56°F (26.0°/13.4°C) | 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) |
| Sep | 73°/51°F (22.6°/10.4°C) | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) |
| Oct | 62°/42°F (16.6°/5.7°C) | 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) |
| Nov | 49°/34°F (9.6°/1.2°C) | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) |
| Dec | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.7°C) | 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) |
Data:
National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology,
National Meteorological Administration
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Bulgaria and Romania. To live, work, or study long-term in Romania, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Romania's immigration authority.
Bulgaria passport holder visiting Romania
Visa Free
Romania passport holder visiting Bulgaria
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Romania than Bulgaria?
Romania and Bulgaria are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Romania?
Budget about RON89,500 for 3 months in Romania (based on a BGN130,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Romania?
Connectivity is usually fine (Romania: 35.8 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Romania offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Romania safe for expats?
Bulgaria performs better than Romania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Romania is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Bulgaria.
How is healthcare in Romania compared to Bulgaria?
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Romania, compared to 43.3 in Bulgaria. Romania scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Bulgaria: 73).
What's the weather like in Romania compared to Bulgaria?
The average high temperature in Bucharest is 63°F, compared to 59°F in Sofia. Bucharest receives around 23.4 in of rainfall per year, while Sofia gets 22.5 in.
What language do they speak in Romania?
The official language in Romania is Romanian. In Bulgaria, the official language is Bulgarian.
