Moving to New York from Romania

moving to

What to Expect

Considering a move from Romania to New York? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Romania to New York, you would find that New York is 2.5 times more expensive than Romania overall. A RON342,600 salary in Romania would need to be roughly $136,033 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.

Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓

How Far Will Your Money Go?

A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Romania and New York.

What does your salary buy?

RON342,600 $136,033

To maintain the same standard of living in New York

Calculate with your salary →

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 50.5% more

Groceries

pay 2.6 times more

Transportation

pay 2.2 times more

Housing

pay 4.6 times more

Childcare

pay 3.3 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 2.2 times more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 RON = 0.2189 USD (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.

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 New York cost about 84% more than cities in Romania.

Romania

Baia Mare 34%

New York

Queens 73%
Ithaca 62%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

What the data shows about people moving from Romania to New York.

Moved in 2023
1,700 ↑ 3% vs 2022

people moved from Romania to United States · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to United States?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in New York compared to Romania.

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

RO
22.5%
NY
29.9%

Romania performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

RO
84.0%
NY
89.7%

New York performs significantly better than Romania across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

RO
5.6%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

RO
$40,500
NY
$91,992

New York performs significantly 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

RO
75.8 yrs
NY
77.7 yrs

New York performs significantly better than Romania across all family life metrics.

Data: The World Factbook

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

Albany Rain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58° / 39°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Bucharest Albany
Jan–Mar 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)
Apr–Jun 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Jul–Sep 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) 78°/58°F (26°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Bucharest Albany
Jan 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)
Feb 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)
Mar 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)
Apr 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)
May 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)
Jun 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)
Jul 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)
Aug 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)
Sep 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)
Oct 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)
Nov 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)
Dec 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)

Data: National Meteorological Administration National Meteorological Administration, National Weather Service National Weather Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

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

Romania passport

Romania passport holder visiting United States

Visa Required
Romania passport holders need a visa to enter United States.
United States passport

United States passport holder visiting Romania

Visa Free
United States 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 New York than Romania?

On average New York is around 81% pricier than Romania, with notable variation by city.

How much money do I need to move to New York?

Budget about $34,008 for 3 months in New York (based on a RON342,600 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from New York?

From major New York cities the network usually holds up. Visa rules, your employer's stance on overseas employees, and tax residency in Romania and New York are what actually decide it long-term.

How is healthcare in New York compared to Romania?

Romania performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in New York compared to Romania?

The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 63°F in Bucharest. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Bucharest gets 23.4 in.

What language do they speak in New York?

The official language in New York is English. In Romania, the official language is Romanian.

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At a Glance

RO
Population 18,519,899 19,378,102
Currency Romanian Leu (RON) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Romanian English
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +40 +1
Time zones 1 11
Emergency number 112 911