These Are Our Average Monthly Living Expenses in Romania [2025 Update]

There are few better ways to estimate living expenses in a country than to look at what other people are spending. So let me pull back the curtain on my family’s real expenses – no sugarcoating, just raw numbers and comparisons to previous years.

It’s a bit complicated (aka more expenses this year), as we spent the first half of the year living Constanta, Romania before moving back to our home city by the Danube, Drobeta Turnu Severin.

I also have a more generic cost of living article for those interested, and probably the best idea would be to mix the info in both for a clearer picture.

With all these in mind, let’s jump straight into our monthly spending, so you can check out the data and estimate or compare it with your numbers.

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Key Takeaways

• €1,000/month per person is still doable if you’re in a couple/family of three (but it’s getting harder).
• Food has become our biggest expense – it’s not cheap, and it keeps climbing.
• Unexpected expenses and the costs of moving cities kept our spending high in 2024.
• Comparison to previous years shows that our monthly living costs in Romania have increased around 40%.

These are our monthly living expenses

We are a family of three living in Drobeta Turnu Severin after moving here from Constanta in mid-June 2024. You can also check the article detailing the cost of living in Constanta.

Now, let’s check out our monthly expenses in the table below, where you can easily compare them to the previous years and see how much things have changed.

Expense	2024 monthly averages	2023	2022	2019	2015
Food	€565	€550	€480	€455	€315
Utilities	€115	€110	€124	€140	€109
Home-related	€75	€35	€130	€122	€171
Gifts	€90	€137	€120	€55	€49
Entertainment	€110	€116	€155	€88	€31.50
Car	€70	€66	€60	€47	€109
Health	€90	€144	€126	€46	€75
Toiletries	€38	€37	€34	€25	€25.50
Misc/Unexpected	€215	€188	€197	€150	€167
Total	€1,368	€1,383	€1,426	€1,128	€1,052

Things to have in mind

I was hoping that our monthly expenses, after spending half an year in a small city here in Romania would be a lot lower. But we have unexpected expenses (like storm damage), and overall moving costs to thank for the high values.

Here are a few things that stand out:

1. No Rent: Our apartment in Constanta cost us €800/month. That cost was not used in the calculations above, so overall, since in Drobeta we’re not paying rent, our expenses are still A LOT lower.

2. Food: Oh boy, this keeps creeping up! We try to eat healthy, which often means organic options, and those definitely come with a premium. But we’re starting to cook almost exclusively at home now and I am sure that our 2025 averages will be MUCH better.

3. Utilities: These are more expensive in Drobeta than in Constanta, surprisingly.

4. Unexpected expenses: Everybody has these. Most cost of living expenses don’t consider them, but I don’t think anybody has a whole year without some unexpected costs. These can drive your averages up by a ton.

Overall, many people here in Romania live on less (check the salaries in Romania article to see how much people are earning), while many others would consider our averages impossible to match. It all depends on how you choose to live your life and what you’re spending your money on.

I also noticed higher expenses when it comes to our son, who is 11 now. When he was a baby, his impact on our overall cost of living was minimal.

Now, he has a few extracurricular activities that we’re paying for, he needs new clothes regularly and our expenses are going up significantly each year. Yes, kids are expensive (but totally worth it!)

Have in mind that rental prices, as well as the costs for purchasing an apartment or house in Romania have skyrocketed lately and they are at an all time high right now.

Finding a place under €300 per month – even in smaller cities – is almost impossible these days. I wrote and in-depth article sharing some rental properties in Romania – make sure to check it out.

Expect to pay at least 500 Euros for a 2 bedroom apartment – generally more in the larger cities, where you can end up paying up to 1,000 Euros per month for a 2-bedroom apartment in a good area.

Our spending habits

I think it’s very important to know how people choose to spend their money to try to estimate where you stand compared to that.

Some people prefer to eat out more, go out more often, buy fancy clothes regularly, and so on.

The truth is that Romania is still a cheap country where you can live on less when compared to other Western countries, but with prices growing steadily over the years and almost even things up at the moment.

So, how do we spend our money? Here’s a snapshot of our spending habits:

• Car: We own a modest car, locally made (Dacia Logan) and we drive only when necessary. We try to walk as much as possible since the city is small and we consider it exercising.

• Food: We mostly cook at home but prioritize natural ingredients. Eating out is a rare treat for us, as we’re trying to keep costs down.

• Entertainment: Our outings are low-key – think coffee shops, parks, and the occasional splurge on a movie or buying a new board game to play together.

• Clothing and Shoes: We’re not big spenders here either. Fancy brands? Not our thing. Changing clothes just to be in style? Nope – I still own and wear clothes that are older than my son.

Overall, I would say that we live an average life, spending like a thriftier middle-class family: nothing too fancy, but not counting every penny either. And despite the high inflation we had this past year and all the unexpected expenses, I think we did OK spending a tiny bit less than the year before.

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Final Words

As you can see from our updated monthly expenses, Romania is not extremely cheap to live in, but still affordable if you’re a bit careful. With a bit of planning, you could still live on 1,000 Euros per month, even when paying rent.

A budget of €2,000/month is what I consider to be enough this year for a family of three. Living in Romania can be affordable, but as prices rise, careful planning is essential.

If you’ve lived here or are planning to move, I’d love to hear about your experiences. What’s your budget like? Share your thoughts in the comments below!