Moving to South Korea from Romania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Romania to South Korea — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Romania to South Korea, you would find that South Korea is 38.2% more expensive than Romania overall. A RON342,975 salary in Romania would need to be roughly ₩139,119,967 in South Korea to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Korean.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Romania to South Korea.
What does your salary buy?
RON342,975 → ₩139,119,967
To maintain the same standard of living in South Korea
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 33.2% less
Groceries
pay 2.7 times more
Transportation
pay 22.0% more
Housing
pay 48.4% more
Childcare
pay 31.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.9% 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 South Korea cost about 11% more than cities in Romania.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Romania to South Korea, based on official data.
people moved from Romania to South Korea · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to South Korea?
Top countries of origin for South Korea's foreign-born residents.
- 803,011
- 177,274
- 159,264
- 68,050
- 64,942
- 55,601
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Romania to South Korea.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
South Korea performs significantly 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
Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Romania generally does better on environment, though South Korea leads in air pollution deaths.
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
South Korea 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
South Korea generally does better on employment & economy, though Romania leads in top income tax rate.
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
South Korea generally does better on family life, though Romania leads in literacy rate.
Data: National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bucharest | Seoul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 43°/28°F (6°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) | 73°/56°F (23°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) | 83°/70°F (28°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 54°/38°F (12°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bucharest | Seoul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.5°C) |
| Feb | 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) | 41°/26°F (5.1°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) | 52°/35°F (11.0°/1.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) | 64°/46°F (17.9°/8.0°C) |
| May | 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) | 74°/56°F (23.6°/13.5°C) |
| Jun | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) | 82°/66°F (27.6°/18.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) | 84°/72°F (29.0°/22.3°C) |
| Aug | 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) | 86°/73°F (30.0°/22.9°C) |
| Sep | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) | 79°/64°F (26.2°/17.7°C) |
| Oct | 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) | 68°/51°F (20.2°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.5°C) |
| Dec | 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) | 40°/26°F (4.2°/-3.4°C) |
Data:
National Meteorological Administration,
Korea Meteorological Administration
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Romania and South Korea. To live, work, or study long-term in South Korea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check South Korea's immigration authority.
Romania passport holder visiting South Korea
Electronic Travel Authorisation
South Korea passport holder visiting Romania
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 South Korea than Romania?
No — South Korea is on average about 25% more expensive than Romania. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to South Korea?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly ₩34,779,992 in South Korea on a RON342,975 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from South Korea?
Internet is rarely the blocker — South Korea has 45.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is South Korea safe for expats?
South Korea performs significantly better than Romania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in South Korea is 0.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.3 in Romania.
How is healthcare in South Korea compared to Romania?
Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea leads in health coverage index. There are 25.2 doctors per 10,000 people in South Korea, compared to 34.7 in Romania. South Korea scores 89 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Romania: 78).
What's the weather like in South Korea compared to Romania?
The average high temperature in Seoul is 63°F, compared to 63°F in Bucharest. Seoul receives around 55.8 in of rainfall per year, while Bucharest gets 23.4 in.
What language do they speak in South Korea?
The official language in South Korea is Korean. In Romania, the official language is Romanian.
