Moving to Romania from Chile

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Chile to Romania — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Chile to Romania, you would find that Romania is 5.7% cheaper than Chile overall. A CLF1,900 salary in Chile would need to be roughly RON345,000 in Romania to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Romanian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Bucharest averages 63°F vs 73°F in Santiago, making it significantly cooler.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Chile to Romania.

What does your salary buy?

CLF1,900 → RON345,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Romania

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 17.0% more

Groceries

pay 18.7% less

Transportation

pay 9.1% more

Housing

pay 16.1% less

Childcare

pay 15.3% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 9.4% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 CLF = 192.57 RON (October 2026)

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 17% more than cities in Chile.

Chile

Romania

Brasov 39%
Timisoara 37%
Bacau 34%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Chile to Romania, and how the trend has changed.

Living there in 2020
157 ↑ 528% vs 2015

people born in Chile live in Romania · UN DESA

Who's moving to Romania?

Top countries of origin for Romania's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Chile and Romania stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

CL
6.3
RO
1.1
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

CL
10.3
RO
9.6

Romania performs significantly better than Chile across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

CL
$3,612
RO
$2,614
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

CL
33.3
RO
36.2

Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Chile leads in health coverage index.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

CL
18.0
RO
46.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

CL
3.9t
RO
3.7t

Chile generally does better on environment, though Romania leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

CL
23.7
RO
35.8
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

CL
9.0%
RO
7.6%

Chile generally does better on infrastructure, though Romania leads in broadband per 100 people.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

CL
9.0%
RO
6.0%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

CL
$17,995
RO
$22,538

Romania generally does better on employment & economy, though Chile leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

CL
81.4 yrs
RO
76.5 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

CL
5.8
RO
6.0

Chile generally does better on family life, though Romania leads in literacy rate.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Chilean Tax Administration (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.

Santiago Rain: 13.5 in/yr (342 mm)
73° / 48°F

Avg. annual high / low

Bucharest Rain: 23.4 in/yr (594 mm)
63° / 41°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Santiago Bucharest
Jan–Mar 84°/55°F (29°/12°C) 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 66°/44°F (19°/7°C) 74°/49°F (23°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) 83°/57°F (28°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 79°/51°F (26°/10°C) 51°/34°F (10°/1°C)
View all months
Month Santiago Bucharest
Jan 86°/56°F (30.1°/13.3°C) 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C)
Feb 85°/55°F (29.5°/12.8°C) 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C)
Mar 81°/53°F (27.4°/11.4°C) 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C)
Apr 74°/47°F (23.1°/8.6°C) 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C)
May 65°/44°F (18.5°/6.4°C) 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C)
Jun 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.0°C) 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C)
Jul 60°/39°F (15.3°/3.9°C) 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C)
Aug 63°/41°F (17.1°/5.1°C) 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C)
Sep 67°/44°F (19.4°/6.8°C) 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C)
Oct 73°/47°F (22.9°/8.6°C) 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C)
Nov 79°/51°F (26.1°/10.3°C) 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C)
Dec 84°/54°F (28.8°/12.2°C) 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C)

Data: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile Dirección Meteorológica de Chile, National Meteorological Administration National Meteorological Administration

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Chile 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.

Chile passport

Chile passport holder visiting Romania

Visa Free
Chile passport holders can enter Romania without a visa.
Romania passport

Romania passport holder visiting Chile

Visa Free
Romania passport holders can enter Chile without a visa.

Data: 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 Chile?

Generally yes: Romania runs about 6% cheaper than Chile on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Romania?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CLF1,900 comparable salary, that's around RON86,250 in Romania for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Romania?

With 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Romania can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Chile and Romania.

Is Romania safe for expats?

Romania performs significantly better than Chile across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Romania is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.3 in Chile.

How is healthcare in Romania compared to Chile?

Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Chile leads in health coverage index. There are 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Romania, compared to 33.3 in Chile. Romania scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Chile: 82).

What's the weather like in Romania compared to Chile?

The average high temperature in Bucharest is 63°F, compared to 73°F in Santiago. Bucharest receives around 23.4 in of rainfall per year, while Santiago gets 13.5 in.

What language do they speak in Romania?

The official language in Romania is Romanian. In Chile, the official language is Spanish.

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At a Glance

CL RO
Population 19,859,921 19,020,271
Currency Chilean Unit of Account (UF) (CLF) Romanian Leu (RON)
Languages Spanish Romanian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +56 +40
Time zones 2 1
Emergency number 131 112