Moving to Greece from Romania

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Romania to Greece, you would find that Greece is 41.3% more expensive than Romania overall. A RON360,000 salary in Romania would need to be roughly €95,300 in Greece to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Greek. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Athens averages 72°F vs 63°F in Bucharest, making it significantly warmer.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

RON360,000 → €95,300

To maintain the same standard of living in Greece

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 30.7% more

Groceries

pay 41.5% more

Transportation

pay 37.7% more

Housing

pay 59.7% more

Childcare

pay 10.0% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 43.1% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 RON = 0.1873 EUR (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 Greece cost about 20% more than cities in Romania.

Romania

Brasov 39%
Timisoara 37%
Bacau 34%

Greece

Xanthi 43%
Kavala 42%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

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

Living there in 2020
47,120 ↑ 2% vs 2015

people born in Romania live in Greece · UN DESA

Who's moving to Greece?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

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

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

RO
1.1
GR
0.8
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

RO
9.6
GR
7.3

Greece performs significantly better than Romania across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

RO
$2,614
GR
$3,454
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

RO
36.2
GR
65.8

Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

RO
46.0
GR
23.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

RO
3.7t
GR
5.0t

Romania generally does better on environment, though Greece leads in air pollution deaths.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

RO
35.8
GR
44.7
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

RO
7.6%
GR
20.3%

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

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

RO
6.0%
GR
8.5%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

RO
$22,538
GR
$26,948

Romania generally does better on employment & economy, though Greece leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

RO
76.5 yrs
GR
81.8 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

RO
6.0
GR
3.2

Greece 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), National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) (2016), GSIS, Greece (2016), The World Factbook (2018). How we calculate this

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

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

Avg. annual high / low

Athens Rain: 16.3 in/yr (414 mm)
72° / 54°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Bucharest Athens
Jan–Mar 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) 57°/42°F (14°/6°C)
Apr–Jun 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) 78°/57°F (26°/14°C)
Jul–Sep 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) 90°/67°F (32°/20°C)
Oct–Dec 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) 65°/50°F (18°/10°C)
View all months
Month Bucharest Athens
Jan 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) 54°/41°F (12.5°/5.2°C)
Feb 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.4°C)
Mar 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) 60°/44°F (15.7°/6.7°C)
Apr 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C)
May 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) 79°/57°F (26.0°/13.9°C)
Jun 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.2°C)
Jul 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) 92°/69°F (33.5°/20.8°C)
Aug 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C)
Sep 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) 85°/63°F (29.2°/17.3°C)
Oct 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) 74°/56°F (23.3°/13.4°C)
Nov 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) 65°/50°F (18.1°/9.8°C)
Dec 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) 57°/44°F (14.1°/6.8°C)

Data: National Meteorological Administration National Meteorological Administration, Hellenic National Meteorological Service Hellenic National Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Romania and Greece. To live, work, or study long-term in Greece, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Greece's immigration authority.

Romania passport

Romania passport holder visiting Greece

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

Greece passport holder visiting Romania

Visa Free
Greece passport holders can enter Romania 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 Greece than Romania?

Day-to-day costs in Greece run about 41% higher than Romania on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Greece?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a RON360,000 comparable salary, that's around €23,825 in Greece for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Greece?

With 44.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Greece can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Romania and Greece.

Is Greece safe for expats?

Greece performs significantly better than Romania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Greece is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Romania.

How is healthcare in Greece compared to Romania?

Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 65.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Greece, compared to 36.2 in Romania. Greece scores 77 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Romania: 78).

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

The average high temperature in Athens is 72°F, compared to 63°F in Bucharest. Athens receives around 16.3 in of rainfall per year, while Bucharest gets 23.4 in.

What language do they speak in Greece?

The official language in Greece is Greek. In Romania, the official language is Romanian.

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At a Glance

RO GR
Population 19,020,271 10,413,962
Currency Romanian Leu (RON) Euro (€)
Languages Romanian Greek
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +40 +30
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112