Moving to Romania from South Korea
What to Expect
Considering a move from South Korea to Romania? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from South Korea to Romania, you would find that Romania is 32.6% cheaper than South Korea overall. A ₩100,000,000 salary in South Korea would need to be roughly RON240,000 in Romania to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Romanian.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between South Korea and Romania.
What does your salary buy?
₩100,000,000 → RON240,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Romania
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 32.5% more
Groceries
pay 62.8% less
Transportation
pay 10.9% less
Housing
pay 33.0% less
Childcare
pay 44.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.6% 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 22% less than cities in South Korea.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from South Korea to Romania.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Romania compared to South Korea.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
South Korea performs 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
South Korea generally does better on environment, though Romania leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016–2019), National Tax Service, South Korea (2016), National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seoul | Bucharest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/56°F (23°/13°C) | 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/70°F (28°/21°C) | 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/4°C) | 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seoul | Bucharest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.5°C) | 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) |
| Feb | 41°/26°F (5.1°/-3.2°C) | 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) |
| Mar | 52°/35°F (11.0°/1.9°C) | 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.9°/8.0°C) | 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) |
| May | 74°/56°F (23.6°/13.5°C) | 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) |
| Jun | 82°/66°F (27.6°/18.7°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 84°/72°F (29.0°/22.3°C) | 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 86°/73°F (30.0°/22.9°C) | 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) |
| Sep | 79°/64°F (26.2°/17.7°C) | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) |
| Oct | 68°/51°F (20.2°/10.6°C) | 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.5°C) | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.2°/-3.4°C) | 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) |
Data:
Korea Meteorological Administration,
National Meteorological Administration
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Korea 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.
South Korea passport holder visiting Romania
Visa Free
Romania passport holder visiting South Korea
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: 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 South Korea?
On average Romania is about 33% less expensive than South Korea, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Romania?
Budget about RON60,000 for 3 months in Romania (based on a ₩100,000,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Romania?
Connectivity is usually fine (Romania: 35.8 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Romania offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Romania safe for expats?
South Korea performs better than Romania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Romania is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.5 in South Korea.
How is healthcare in Romania compared to South Korea?
Romania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Korea leads in health coverage index. There are 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Romania, compared to 26.1 in South Korea. Romania scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Korea: 89).
What's the weather like in Romania compared to South Korea?
The average high temperature in Bucharest is 63°F, compared to 63°F in Seoul. Bucharest receives around 23.4 in of rainfall per year, while Seoul gets 55.8 in.
What language do they speak in Romania?
The official language in Romania is Romanian. In South Korea, the official language is Korean.
