Living in Oradea: Where to Stay, Cost of Living & What It’s Like

Oradea is one of my favorite cities in Romania. It’s also one of the country’s largest, developing quickly and impressively over the past several years.

While recently, more and more expats are starting to discover it, it still remains, for the most part, a hidden gem. This makes it, in my book, a great city to move to early.

Actually, Oradea is usually the first city I recommend when people ask me which city they should choose in Romania. This means that it beats better-known places like Brasov, Sibiu, Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca.

And today we’re going to talk about living in Oradea, from where to stay both short term (when checking it out) and long term, what to expect, what the costs will be and a lot more.

Where to stay in Oradea

I always recommend visiting a city before making a more permanent move. This helps you really understand if it’s a good fit for you, but also allows you to see how life is in different areas of the city.

For the short term visitor, I am listing the best hotels in Oradea below, but I’ve also written a guide about the best neighborhoods in Oradea, perfect also for longer-term stays.

1. Astoria Grand Hotel

If you’re looking for luxury and you want to be in the heart of the city, Astoria Grand Hotel is the hotel you should choose, but expect the price to match up with the quality.

As you can see in my photo above, it’s an absolutely beautiful piece of architecture, surprisingly offering modern amenities of the highest quality inside.

The rooms are large and modern, and while the pillows are a bit soft for my taste, getting a good rest here is guaranteed.

Plus, you are right in the heart of the city, just minutes of walking away from the main attractions.

Click here to check the price for your dates.

Caro Boutique Hotel

Situated close to the New City, Caro Boutique Hotel offers a great alternative for your stay and is also more budget-friendly.

This boutique hotel is modern, yet small, with comfortable rooms and the pricing is just right – and that’s all that matters.

And most important – you will always feel welcome here, as the staff does their best to treat each guest like royalty. So if you want comfort without breaking the bank, this is the place for you!

Click here to check prices for your dates.

Stokker Hotel

If you’re more budget-oriented for your stay, this hotel situated in the Northern part of the city offers great prices, without sacrificing anything in terms of quality of the rooms.

Located right next to the beautiful Petőfi Sándor Park, Stokker Hotel is a modernized boutique property that has earned a solid reputation in recent years.

You are only a 600-meter walk from the central train station and the city center. It offers premium comfort, top-tier food, and a very welcoming staff.

Click here to check prices for your dates.

Things to Know about Oradea

As I said when I first started talking about Oradea and how much it has grown in recent years, now it is more popular than ever, including for expats and international travelers.

This doesn’t make it less appealing – on the contrary, it helps shape it into an even better destination, and there’s still plenty of room for growth.

I personally consider it an opportunity for those who want to get ahead of the crowds and secure some good deals on housing for example, especially if you’re looking to buy property in Romania.

Oradea is one of the fastest growing cities in Romania, with massive developments in the city’s infrastructure, with renovations being made and new buildings being constructed.

Business is booming in the city, so you should not wait too long before deciding that it is indeed a great place to visit or call your new home.

Now, getting to what I consider to be the standard facts you need to build a clear picture of this destination!

Situated in the North-Western parts of Romania, it is one of the larger cities in Romania: Oradea has a population of a bit over 183.000 people, making it the 9th largest city in the country.

The beautiful Crisul Repede (Fast Cris) river flows directly through the middle of the city, and you are also just a stone’s throw away from Baile Felix, a well-known thermal spa resort.

It is an old city with a rich history – mentions of modern Oradea being recorded since the 1100s. The city was part of the Hungarian Empire for most of its existence.

As a result, today about 25% of its population is Hungarian. The city itself is well connected to other cities in Hungary, being right next to the border. So it’s easy to plan a quick weekend getaway in nearby Hungary.

Public transportation in the city is handled by trams and buses, which cover the city well. Public transportation is reliable albeit slow, but you also have cheap taxis to get you around faster – as well as ride-sharing options like Uber or Bolt.

The city is well connected to others in Romania via the train station (which also offers destinations to Romania’s neighbors). There’s also an International Airport in the city which offers low-cost flights to some European cities (but not a ton of destinations at the moment).

There is a plane though flying from Oradea to Bucharest (and vice-versa) that only takes 80 minutes and costs around 50 Euros (maybe less if you book ahead).

If you want to explore Europe, Wizz Air operates direct flights to Rome, Bergamo, and Dortmund. You also have major international connections via LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw and Lufthansa to Munich.

Living in Oradea: What Is It Like?

I still believe that Oradea is one of the most underrated cities in Romania and I’m also sure that you will hear a lot more about it in the future.

Oradea has been growing tremendously in the past several years, becoming more beautiful and offering an increased standard of living.

I did check property prices in the city, as well as rentals, and I have to say that they also went up over the past years, just like they did in the rest of the country. But they’re still lower than property prices in other large cities, with great deals to be found now and then.

Oradea is the leading city in Romania when it comes to European funding received for rehabilitation projects. It is also one of the first cities in the country where citizens can actively vote for the next projects the administration should tackle.

As a result, investments go toward things the citizens really want changed or improved. So far, this system has worked almost flawlessly.

Most of the buildings – especially the charming ones in the city center – have been rehabilitated as well, looking fresh and beautiful, while still keeping their original charm. Just look at the photos I have scattered in this article, based on a recent visit to Oradea, and you will see what I mean.

The infrastructure is also among the best in the country and the constant flow of investments means that the city is growing, evolving and turning into a much better one.

But despite its growth, Oradea is still not insanely popular – at least not for foreigners.

The cost of living is still very low compared to the larger cities, the city itself is slower paced and life there more tranquil, while entertainment options and events are varied enough for you not to get bored.

Job opportunities are also decent in the city, although still nowhere near to those offered by Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Timisoara or Brasov.

Still, the competition is lower than in those cities, there are corporations that are looking to hire and, depending on your field of work, your specialization might be in high demand. You can’t know for sure before you test the waters.

Oradea is also one of the city’s most important centers of educations, offering education options for all ages, including private schools. I have a great opinion about the latter, and I am sure you will too.

Overall, living in Oradea is really nice, with lots of opportunities at the moment.

From the lower cost of living (compared to other large cities), to the plethora of things to do, the beauty of the city itself and better opportunities to find a job, it is the perfect city for most.

It is slower-paced and less chaotic than other large cities. It’s pretty much walkable – or at least very accessible through the public transportation system.

If you choose one of the areas that’s close to everything – close to the city center – then you can easily live there without a car and simply walk everywhere. Really nice!

The Expat Life: Internet, Healthcare & Safety

If you work online, you shouldn’t worry: Romania has some of the fastest internet speeds in the world, and Oradea makes no exception. You will find several great coworking spaces and cafes filled with remote workers here.

If you are not an EU citizen, Romania’s digital nomad visa makes it easy to set up temporary residency here, provided you meet the income requirements.

As far as safety goes, Romania is exceptionally safe overall, and Oradea consistently ranks as one of its safest urban centers. You can walk home late at night and feel completely secure, which is something that is becoming less and less common in Europe right now.

Healthcare standards are also high for the region. The city is home to Pelican Hospital, one of the largest and most modern private medical facilities in this part of the country.

The costs for private healthcare are relatively low, with a fee of around 50 Euros for most specialized consultations, for example.

Cost of living in Oradea

I told you that the city is cheaper than other large cities in Romania, but we’ll still check a quick summary of the anticipated monthly expenses in Oradea.

Since one of the highest expenses is related to accommodation, the fact that rent here is still relatively low saves you a ton of money. Apart from that, all the other costs are pretty much the same throughout Romania’s largest cities.

Here are my estimates for two people living together:

Expense Category	Estimated Monthly Cost (EUR)
Rent (Premium 1-Bedroom, City Center)	700€ – 900€
Rent (Studio, Outside Center)	350€ – 500€
Utilities (Electricity, Heating, Water)	150€ – 200€
High-Speed Internet	10€
Groceries	275€ – 350€
Dining Out (Mid-range restaurant)	15€ – 25€ per meal

This means that, per person, one can live comfortably for around 1,250 Euros per month. It’s easier in my scenario above, with shared living expenses.

Of course, the higher your budget, the more options you have and if you’re used to splurging, then you should definitely budget more.

Things to Do & See in Oradea

There are so many beautiful things to see in the city – from the charming old buildings in the city center, to the nearby Fortress or Baile Felix, to the great Aquapark during the summer and the Crisul Repede river itself.

Oradea has a lot to offer in terms of eye candy, that’s a fact. I actually wrote a dedicated article for that, so make sure to check it out for more details of all the important attractions.

Until then, it’s worth noting that the city is also the only city in Romania that’s part of the international network of Art Nouveau cities (I didn’t know such a thing existed until I did my homework about Oradea – but it still sounds pretty impressive).

So if you’re a fan of the Art Nouveau style, you have an extra reason to love this city!

Apart from the classic attractions in an nearby the city, you also have plenty of restaurants and pubs that serve delicious food and offer unforgettable experiences.

While there’s definitely not a restaurant on every corner, you still have a ton of high quality – yet budget friendly – options available.

All in all, there are lots of things for you to do and see in Oradea without ever getting bored.

Conclusion

As I was saying in the intro, Oradea is by far one of my top recommendations for cities to live in if you move to Romania.

I would go as far as placing it at #1 if you’re not looking for a particularly large city (Cluj Napoca would be better suited then) or if you’re not looking for something chaotic yet charming for some like Bucharest.

Offering a lot of eye candy for some really decent prices, Oradea has everything you can wish for, is perfectly located – close to both Hungary and Cluj Napoca (and even Ukraine), it is quickly developing using European funds and you’ll love it.

Have you been to Oradea? What do you think about this city? Let us all know in the comments down below.