Buying a House in Romania: Still Cheap (with Examples of Properties)

Romania remains one of the cheapest countries in Europe when it comes to buying property.

Even though the prices of houses and apartments have gone up A LOT in the past several years, they are still really affordable by Western standards and probably amongst the cheapest in the EU.

In today’s article, we’re going to look at various types of cheap houses you can get in Romania, as well as larger properties that, as you will see, are still pretty cheap.

I will scour the web and share some houses that are currently on sale (and which I consider good deals). It’s going to be fun, because these houses in Romania offer a lot for the money.

I initially wrote this article back in 2013 and updated it back in 2019 and then again in 2021 before updating it today again.

Compared to 2021, prices have remained pretty much the same – and with rising cost of living and still a high inflation, I think that can be appreciated.

All in all, this is a great exercise and fun for me to do – hopefully it’s equally fun for you to read. So let’s see what amazing properties are available for sale in Romania and what are the costs.

Examples of cheap houses for sale in Romania

There will be additional comments afterwards, but let’s first jump into the list of houses that you can buy in Romania today.

This list shows listings that are active today and most likely won’t be anymore when you read the article, but expect to find something similar without much hassle. Great for creating an idea of what to expect.

1. Cheap(ish) village house by the Danube

House for Sale in Tulcea

With an asking price of €35,000, this village house is close to the Danube and partially renovated.

With two bedrooms, an old house in the yard (with two extra rooms) and a large garden of 2,500 square meters (27,000 square feet), the house is located in the Tulcea county and proves that you can still find cheap properties in Romania.

A bit of renovation would still be needed, but the price is still really good.

2. Cheap village house for just €15,000!

cheap house in Romania

I wanted to see if you can find a decent property for a really low price – and I did! This house is listed for €15,000 and even though it needs some TLC, it proves that if you want to make it on a very tight budget, it’s still possible.

Located in the Eastern side of the country, this house comes with 3 bedrooms, it’s decently sized at 100 sq. meters (around 1,050 sq feet) and has a huge garden of 2,700 square meters.

I really like how this one looks – I can only imagine how nice it is to have the sun coming in through all those windows. Nice indeed!

3. Nice house with beautiful yard in the city

beautiful Resita house

Now, if you’re not really looking for a village house, prices go up quite a bit. I did a lot of research and I couldn’t find anything worth talking about (read: without the need of MAJOR repairs) under 75,000 Euros.

But this house is really nice, in my opinion. Located in the city of Resita, it is listed for €83,000 (so probably a bid of €80k would be accepted) and it’s pretty much move in ready.

As you can see above, it has a beautiful yard area with amazing views over the city and even an outside patio area that is covered and definitely a pleasure to spend time in during the summer.

beautiful Resita house inside

The house itself is renovated and modernly decorated in my opinion. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (many houses in the cheaper price range usually have just one bathroom), and a decent size – 120 sq meters (around 1,300 sq. feet).

A steal, I would say, especially since it’s just 1 km away from the center of the city.

4. Large house near Sibiu

Medias House

This property is located in Medias, a city close to Sibiu, Romania. Centrally located, this house seems to be in really good shape and is listed for €97 500.

Medias house room

With just two bedrooms but a huge yard (fits 3 cars), it’s a really nice one for the money. Sure, it looks like it’s a bit outdated in terms of furnishings, but I still believe that the price is great for what you’re getting.

5. Higher budget = better house

Higher Budget property

Finally, I wanted to see what a higher budget can bring you. We’re still keeping the prices relatively low compared to the rest of the world, although I wouldn’t call this cheap. However, as you can see, if you have the money, it’s a really nice deal.

With a listing price of €129,000, this property is locate in the city of Hunedoara, Romania and has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It’s a really large house as you can see from the images attached, and it’s in a very good condition.

Coming fully furnished and fully equipped (it also has a washer/dryer combo which is almost unheard of in Romania), this house would definitely keep the entire family entertained and happy.

higher budget room

While it is indeed higher priced, it’s still not bad – probably, you can get a studio for the same amount of money in countries like Germany or the UK, and maybe a 2-bedroom apartment in Bucharest. But for the same price you can get a nice house with a large garden.

This shows that yes, you can still find plenty of options in Romania for all budget ranges, although the dirt cheap properties are harder and harder to find – and most likely, not livable without major reconditioning.

NOTE: All these houses were found on Storia. This article is not sponsored by the website – it’s just one of the best you can visit if you want to buy property in Romania.

Video: Browsing cheap houses in Romania

If you want to see me do some live browsing of some properties available in Romania (all for under 25,000 Euros – but from a couple of years ago), you can check out the video I have published on Youtube:

How much should you budget for buying a house in Romania?

Prices for properties have gone up A LOT in the past several years, as I have mentioned already, but they are still lagging behind those in most other EU countries, so the time might still be right for buying.

For example, back in 2013, we bought the apartment we’re living in today for just 25,000 Euros. A similar apartment, in a similar condition (has to be renovated entirely) would cost today some 40,000 Euros – maybe even more if you’re ready to keep it on the market until you get the best offer.

The price of houses also grew A LOT. I know that back in 2013, I had done the math and decided that with around 80,000 Euros I could buy a decent house in the small city of Drobeta Turnu Severin, where I was living at the time.

Now, a similar house would be around 115,000 Euros.

The village house we bought in 2020 – more about it below

And this happens in the entire country – prices are going up like crazy, both for apartments and houses.

The average price of an 2-bedroom apartment in Bucharest is now around 90,000 Euros, which is insane in my books.

These numbers are similar to those in 2008-2009, before the recession. And even though many consider them too high and predicted that the bubble would burst… they kept going higher and higher.

So… how much money do you need?

If you want to buy a house in a city, you won’t find many cheap deals.

For a move-in ready house in the largest cities like Bucharest, Timisoara or Brasov (by the way – check out the top things to do in Brasov here), expect to pay at least 200,000 Euros for a decent house on the outskirts of the city. (I saw listings for millions too!)

A budget of 150,000 Euros should be OK for a nice house in the smaller cities and maybe for a house in the larger cities – but these will probably come and go quickly.

When it comes to towns and villages, you have a lot more options. For example, the village house that we bought in 2020, that came fully equipped and furnished (and we love it!) cost us 30,000 Euros.

So in villages, for decent houses, you can expect to pay as low as 40,000 Euros… up to around 100,000 Euros for really nice properties with huge yards, modern amenities and everything you need.

One thing is clear though: Romania is starting to catch up the Western countries when it comes to property prices.

They are still affordable at the moment, but if things keep up as they are now – it won’t be long before these prices will be prohibitive.

My personal opinion is that in 5-10 years, the prices will double, especially for houses that are located in good areas – central locations or growing parts of the country.

Can foreigners buy property in Romania?

foreigners buying property in Romania

Yes, foreigners are allowed to buy property in Romania. There are some rules that apply, though, depending on the country of origin.

Citizens of any country in the European Union or the European Economic Area can own both the property and the land it is built on – just like Romanian citizens would. There are no restrictions in place here.

Citizens outside the EU and EEA can still buy property in Romania, but they won’t own the rights for the land it’s built on. But they still have the right to live on that land and use it.

Some countries are also exempt from this if Romania has a treaty with them. But major countries in the world don’t.

Here is a list of countries from which citizens can’t own the land – just use it and own the building only:

  • Canada
  • USA
  • Australia
  • Rusia
  • India
  • Switzerland
  • Norway
  • Japan

The list is larger – basically includes most countries outside of the EU/EEA.

However, even if you don’t own the land itself, chances of losing the said land are minimal to say the most. I personally never heard of anybody who lost their house because of this rule. And I doubt I ever will.

If you want to minimize the risks even more – go for an apartment. It will surely be there for as long as the building will exist, so absolutely no reasons to care about owning the land itself.

Conclusion

Romania is no longer as cheap as it used to be several years ago, when it was still an undiscovered gem and a great choice for people looking to live like royalty for little money.

Because of a fast growing cost of living, but also increased inflation and rising property prices, it’s getting more and more difficult to consider this a really cheap country to live in.

Sure… moving outside of the cities will still keep the prices low so there are ways to live well on a lower budget.

Also, despite all these sometimes spectacular price hikes, Romania still remains one of the cheapest countries in the EU.

But when it comes to owning property here… if you have the money set aside, it might be a good idea to make a move now.

Calin
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14 thoughts on “Buying a House in Romania: Still Cheap (with Examples of Properties)”

  1. Like you, city life is for me. It seems like the prices are going through the roof everywhere in the world, prices are just zooming up. I always wonder how regular folks can afford a comfortable life anymore. It’s nice to know that Romania can still be affordable if you’re willing to forgo big city life. I love how you guys enjoy the best of both worlds with the apartment and now the house. Awesome!

    Reply
  2. Unfortunately Romania is facing a situation similar to many countries the world over…skyrocketing home prices. This is attributed to increased demand (low mortgage rates, more work-from-home positions, and outside investors/speculators) and a shortage of qualified builders and building materials that are driving up costs. As you can see, it’s not due to higher disposable incomes or a growing population (Romania’s population has registered annual declines since 1990). That said, I’m not sure how much a bubble the housing market may be in Romania as property values are increasing everywhere and if it’s getting prohibitively expensive elsewhere then people will chase the properties that are lowest in value, i.e. Romania. Unfortunately, my biggest issue with the Romanian housing market is the lack of appropriate infrastructure needed to support additional units coming on the market (poor and few roads, inexistent public transport connecting peripheries with the cities, questionable water supplies, etc.) as well as a lack of vision when it comes to urban planning. There has been tremendous growth in new builds in Romania but a lot of it has been done on the peripheries of cities where land is cheapest, resulting in urban sprawl that has led to increased traffic congestion and air pollution. Obviously, municipal councils and mayors are to blame here but as mentioned in the article, cities are becoming more and more expensive so people are gravitating outwards despite the negative consequences that will result. Hopefully this resolves itself as the situation is unsustainable.

    Reply
  3. Thanks for the information.

    Is English widely spoken in Romania (I am considering moving to a smaller city if that matters)? Have you heard anything about bank stability in recent years? Do you know if Bitcoin is widely used?

    Reply
    • Happy to help! English is widely spoken, but the smaller the city, the more basic it will be (close to no English speakers in most villages). Banks are very stable at the moment – no moves or shakes in recent years. Cryptos are not widely used, but growing in popularity.

      Reply
  4. IF YOU CALL 100, 120K CHEAP, THEN YOU ARE EITHER A BILLIONAIRE OR HAVE NOT A CLUE ABOUT COSTS…

    IN HUNGARY YOU CAN BUY HOUSES FOR 5000 EURO, SO PLEASE SPARE US THE BS FOR YOUR HOUSES AT 45 , 80 OR 120K!

    Reply
    • You can buy houses for 5,000 Euros here as well – I did get one myself and shared the story on my blog. However, for a house with amenities, one that is move-in ready and in a decent-sized city, you do have to pay more.

      And if you look at the housing market in Europe, US, Canada… then you will agree that 100k is indeed cheap 🙂 You have to compare apples to apples – not a village house with no amenities in the middle of nowhere with a nice place in the heart of a major city.

      Reply
    • No reason to type in “caps” as that is considered rude, even here in the US.
      No reason to attack this article either, as you could have stated that Hungary also has cheap housing and maybe better bargains. Your last name seems to emphasize your lack of manners.

      Reply
  5. Maybe this information will help.

    To estimate the cost of building a house in Romania, you can use this online calculator: https://webage.ro/en/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-house/

    To estimate the cost of buying a plot of land in Romania, you can use this online calculator: https://webage.ro/en/land-purchase-cost-calculator/

    See other useful calculators here: https://webage.ro/en/online-tests-and-questionnaires-psychological-tests-calculation-forms/#case

    Reply
  6. Hi Calin, thank you for the advice. Is there a website that you can recommend for searching properties, in any country there is usually “the one”.

    Reply

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