Moving to Romania from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Saudi Arabia to Romania — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Romania, you would find that Romania is 24.3% more expensive than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR281,865 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly RON302,460 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 92°F in Riyadh, making it significantly cooler.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Saudi Arabia to Romania.
What does your salary buy?
SAR281,865 → RON302,460
To maintain the same standard of living in Romania
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.8 times more
Groceries
pay 8.0% less
Transportation
pay 18.0% more
Housing
pay 24.5% less
Childcare
pay 35.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.1% less
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 12% less than cities in Saudi Arabia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Saudi Arabia to Romania, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Saudi Arabia to Romania.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Saudi Arabia generally does better on safety, though Romania leads in road traffic deaths.
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 Saudi Arabia leads in suicide rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Romania performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.
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
Saudi Arabia 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
Saudi Arabia performs better than Romania across all employment & economy metrics.
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
Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Romania leads in infant mortality.
Data: Department of Zakat and Income Tax, 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 | Riyadh | Bucharest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Bucharest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
National Meteorological Administration
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia 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.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Romania
Visa Required
Romania passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on ArrivalData: 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 Saudi Arabia?
Yes — Romania is on average about 12% cheaper than Saudi Arabia. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Romania?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly RON75,615 in Romania on a SAR281,865 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Romania?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Romania has 32.4 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 Romania safe for expats?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on safety, though Romania leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Romania is 1.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Romania compared to Saudi Arabia?
Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in suicide rate. There are 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Romania, compared to 30.8 in Saudi Arabia. Romania scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Romania compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Bucharest is 63°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Bucharest receives around 23.4 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Romania?
The official language in Romania is Romanian. In Saudi Arabia, the official language is Arabic.
