Moving to Romania from Hungary

moving to

What to Expect

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

If you moved from Hungary to Romania, you would find that Romania is 0.6% more expensive than Hungary overall. A HUF23,793,000 salary in Hungary would need to be roughly RON320,823 in Romania to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Romanian.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

HUF23,793,000 RON320,823

To maintain the same standard of living in Romania

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 18.1% more

Groceries

pay 13.2% less

Transportation

pay 15.6% less

Housing

pay 23.2% less

Childcare

pay 38.9% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 2.6% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 HUF = 0.0144 RON (July 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.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

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

Living there in 2020
10,491 ↑ 63% vs 2015

people born in Hungary 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 Hungary and Romania stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

HU
1.0
RO
1.3
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

HU
7.4
RO
9.6

Hungary performs better than Romania across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

HU
$2,875
RO
$2,614
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

HU
33.0
RO
34.7

Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary 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

HU
42.0
RO
46.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

HU
4.5t
RO
3.7t

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

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

HU
35.5
RO
32.4
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

HU
8.1%
RO
7.4%

Hungary generally does better on infrastructure, though Romania leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

HU
4.1%
RO
5.6%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

HU
$40,600
RO
$40,500

Hungary performs better than Romania across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

HU
77.2 yrs
RO
75.8 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

HU
4.6
RO
5.8

Hungary performs better than Romania across all family life metrics.

Data: National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Budapest Rain: 21.0 in/yr (534 mm)
60° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Budapest Bucharest
Jan–Mar 43°/31°F (6°/-1°C) 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 71°/52°F (22°/11°C) 74°/49°F (23°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 78°/59°F (26°/15°C) 83°/57°F (28°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 49°/37°F (9°/3°C) 51°/34°F (10°/1°C)
View all months
Month Budapest Bucharest
Jan 37°/27°F (2.6°/-3.0°C) 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C)
Feb 41°/29°F (5.1°/-1.8°C) 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C)
Mar 51°/36°F (10.6°/2.0°C) 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C)
Apr 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.8°C) 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C)
May 72°/53°F (22.4°/11.5°C) 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C)
Jun 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.4°C) 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C)
Jul 82°/62°F (27.9°/16.4°C) 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C)
Aug 81°/61°F (27.4°/16.0°C) 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C)
Sep 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.8°C) 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C)
Oct 61°/45°F (16.1°/7.0°C) 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C)
Nov 47°/36°F (8.5°/2.3°C) 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C)
Dec 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.7°C) 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C)

Data: Hungarian Meteorological Service Hungarian Meteorological Service, National Meteorological Administration National Meteorological Administration

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Hungary 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.

Hungary passport

Hungary passport holder visiting Romania

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

Romania passport holder visiting Hungary

Visa Free
Romania passport holders can enter Hungary 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 Hungary?

Generally yes: Romania runs about 6% cheaper than Hungary 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 HUF23,793,000 comparable salary, that's around RON80,206 in Romania for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Romania?

With 32.4 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 Hungary and Romania.

Is Romania safe for expats?

Hungary performs better than Romania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Romania is 1.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.0 in Hungary.

How is healthcare in Romania compared to Hungary?

Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in health coverage index. There are 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Romania, compared to 33.0 in Hungary. Romania scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Hungary: 79).

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

The average high temperature in Bucharest is 63°F, compared to 60°F in Budapest. Bucharest receives around 23.4 in of rainfall per year, while Budapest gets 21.0 in.

What language do they speak in Romania?

The official language in Romania is Romanian. In Hungary, the official language is Hungarian.

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At a Glance

HU RO
Population 9,699,577 18,519,899
Currency Hungarian Forint (HUF) Romanian Leu (RON)
Languages Hungarian Romanian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +36 +40
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112