Romania is extremely attractive for people looking for a cheap country to live in. While it is in the European Union, it has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe, making it an amazing choice for people who wish to move here, as well as digital nomads or those who get their income from outside the country.
But what about those looking to move to Romania and work here? In today’s article, we’ll cover that aspect by looking at the monthly minimum wage in Romania, as well as the monthly average salary in Romania.
If you don’t want to go through the entire article and find all the fun facts and comments, I’m summing things up below. But you should keep reading for the big picture!
- the minimum wage in Romania, in 2023, is 3,000 lei gross (around 1,863 lei take home)
- the average wage in Romania in 2023 is around 4,000 lei net (take home)
In my opinion, this paints a better and clearer picture of the country as a whole: by knowing the minimum and average salary, you will know both where your level of income would place in rapport to the average Romanian, but also what to expect from the job market itself.
Even more, the average salary is a good indicator (in my opinion) of the estimated cost of living and how expensive a country is.
If a person earns, on average, 3,000 Euros per month, most likely prices in that country are higher than they are in one where the average person earns 500 Euros per month.
Also, this means that if you at least earn the average salary, you will be able to live a good life here in the country.
With the year 2022 being such a crazy one with massive inflation and everything else that caused prices to skyrocket, we’ve seen some major movements on the income side as well.
While the increase in overall earnings here are not as spectacular as they were prior to 2020, and the minimum monthly salary is still the same from January, it’s interesting to check out all the data and see how we stay, especially in terms of average wages during this crazy year.
UPDATE: This article was initially published in January 2017, but it has been rewritten and updated ever since, every year (even multiple times per year), to keep up with the increasing salaries in Romania – and I will continue to update it as often as possible.
What is the minimum wage in Romania in 2023?
The minimum salary in Romania in 2023 is 3,000 Lei gross or 1,863 Lei net. This means that somebody on minimum wages would bring home around 375 Euros each month.
This is a pretty large increase when compared to last year’s minimum salary, which was 2,550 lei. So almost a 20% increase, well above the huge inflation in Romania.
This means that, compared to last year, the minimum wage in Romania has increased by around 65 Euros. A pretty solid and definitely welcome increase.
IMPORTANT! Starting 2022, employers are allowed to keep employees on a minim wage for a maximum of 24 months. This means that a salary increase over the minimum is mandatory afterwards.
These are some pretty interesting measures and hopefully they will result in an increased quality of life in the near future.
Romania is still bleeding workers who move to Western European countries, searching for better paying jobs and minimum wages have been increased a lot over the past several years, even though the numbers might still seem pretty low.
For example, in January 2017 the gross minimum wage was just 1,250 RON, then it was increased to 1,450 RON before getting to 1,900 RON in 2018. Since then, the growth has been a bit slower, but any growth is better than none.
In conclusion, the take home minimum wage in Romania is around 375 Euros per month (or 1,863 lei) but companies are only allowed to pay the minimum wage for a maximum of 24 months before being forced by law to increase it.
Currently, according to statistics, 1.4 million Romanians earn the minimum salary, out of around 7 million employees.
But the increase in the minimum wages had some side effects: prices are rising in Romania, inflation is high, the exchange rates for EUROS and USD are reaching new highs each day, so in actual buying power things haven’t changed as much.
I would go as far as say that, with such a high inflation rate for 2022 (official numbers are at around 16%), the buying power has decreased a bit, despite the salary hike.
But despite all these, we do have an increased quality of life for those living on a minimum wage, at least when we compare numbers to 2017 and before.
What is the average wage in Romania in 2023?
An interesting thing about the average salary in Romania in 2023 is this: even though the minimum wages have seen spectacular increases in the past few years, the average wages didn’t follow the same trend, although they started moving up in the second part of the year.
This makes sense, because average salaries are not regulated. However, they kept going up. In 2020 and 2021 due to the economic boom and in 2022 to keep up with inflation.
However, unlike the minimum wage, the average salary a Romanian earns hasn’t grown as much throughout 2022.
Back to actual values, the average take-home salary in Romania in 2023 is around 4,000 Lei per month (around 811 Euros). This is an increase of around 700 Lei compared to last year. The Gross Salary is around 6,650 Lei (yup, that much goes to taxes!)
The numbers are slightly higher than the official numbers used for calculating the digital nomad visa requirements, which place the Gross earnings at around 1,100 Euros per month (5,500 lei).
You can check out the National Institute of statistics for updated monthly values of the average wage in the country throughout the year.
Compared to the previous year, the average wage in Romania has increased by some 40 Euros – one of the biggest increases in recent years. It’s interesting to note that the average salary has more than doubled since 2013.
And despite 2022 bringing such a financial mess, it’s really encouraging to see that salaries are still going up both average and minimum wages.
Another thing to consider when thinking about average wages is that the numbers are usually bigger in larger cities (Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj, Constanta, Timisoara etc) and get closer to the minimum in the smaller ones.
In other words, you have the potential to earn more in the larger cities, but the cost of living there is also higher.
We’re spending under 1,500 Euros per month as a family of three living in the provinces in a smaller city, but larger ones might need more money. Prices are going up and even though exchange rates are staying strong… it’s not easy anywhere right now.
Cost of living
Some time ago, I wrote an article detailing how you can live in the country on $1,000 per month. I had to update that article after I originally published it, as things have changed quite a bit since then.
The cost of living in Romania is still very low compared to other countries, but you’re starting to get less and less for that amount…
If you don’t want to, then I would have to say that for a foreigner moving here, the average take-home wage (811 Euros/month) would not be enough to live a decent life, if you have to pay for accommodation.
It would still be doable if you choose shared living and are very frugal. It’s even easier if your employee pays for accommodation (which would save you some 200 – 350 EUR per month).
Best paid jobs in Romania
Finding a job in Romania – especially if you don’t speak the language – could prove difficult to say the least.
The bureaucracy and employment systems are old and outdated and even though things are changing here, many industries are left behind.
I remember reading an article a while ago about Noble prize winners who would not be allowed to become University teachers in Romania because they would not meet the silly criteria teachers must meet (not that any Noble prize winner wanted to start teaching in Romania…)
However, there are some areas where it’s easier to find jobs in the country and fortunately these are also the best paying jobs in Romania. Think about large corporations and IT and you have a clear picture!
Also, there is an increasing demand for workers in the construction field, with decent salaries to follow (although still not the highest in the country).
With these in mind, let’s check out some of the best paid jobs in Romania. The salaries below are average amounts from 2020, so they might be a bit higher in 2022.
1. IT: 17,000 Lei
2. Oil extraction: 9,000 lei
3. Engineering: 7,300 Lei
4. Banking: 5,859 Lei
5. Heavy industry: 5,000 Lei
Other jobs that pay well include:
Truck Driver: 4,500 RON
Marketing: 4,500 RON
BPO: 4,150 RON
Engineering: 4,000 RON
Construction work: 5,000 RON
Have in mind that these are just averages and estimates and actual salaries that a company is willing to pay can be very different from the values above.
Wrapping up
Hopefully knowing the minimum and average salary in Romania in 2023 will paint a clearer picture on the actual cost of living, the job prospects you’d have and how far your money would take you in case you’re living on income from a different country.
If you have data from various industries or any comments to make that will help us all better understand the system in Romania, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts below.
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Usually, waiters get something around the minimum wage and get to keep the tips they earn.
As a visitor from the UK many things like food are cheaper, but other things are stupidly expensive. Shampoo, for example, is about 3x the UK price. I can buy a Dacia car in the UK for about 80% of the price in Romania, where they are made. This seems crazy considering the average salary in UK is about 4x Romanian salary. It makes you appreciate their hospitality all the more when you realise that Romania is not a cheap place to live for Romanians.
Exactly – I always say this. Romania is cheap for those who don’t rely on the income coming from the country. But I had no idea that the Dacia cars are cheaper in other countries – that really makes no sense.
I live in Brasov with my girlfriend in my own apartment and only one of us is working at the moment. I don’t have to pay rent . The average costs we have per month are (taking into account food, utilities, bills and miscellaneous) are around 2500 per month (maybe 2800 RON in the winter season, 2200 RON in the summer). This translates to around 508 euros on average per month.
Honestly this is around what you need, in my mind, not only to survive but to live a comfortable life (going out in the week-ends – well not so much with COVID now, but you get the point – ordering food 75 of the time from various restaurants and some other activities which include various costs).
Of course if we would stop ordering food so much and not buy so many sodas we could probably cut our expenses to something around 2000 RON per month on average. Which for 2 people seems like a great deal to me.
I also believe Romania is a great place to live in. Call me nationalistic, but I feel like there’s so much potential in this medium-sized country. Of course we don’t have the salaries or GDP like in Western Europe or North America but we are catching up. And quickly. The highest ever average recorded wage was in December 2020, with 3620 RON or 743 EUR (at the conversion rate of that time). In March 2021 it was around 728 EUR, and since I’ve been observing the trends in wages (December 2016), the average salary in Romania this year will probably be something around 3600 RON or 731 EUR, which is great in my mind. If only the government would rise the minimum wage as well to be at least 50% of the real average wage that would be great. It would help around 1.4 million people to get out of relative poverty. But I’m going off the subject.
I like the blog, keep up the good work.
Excellent stuff, Alexandru! Thanks for sharing these with us – especially the cost of living details. I will also share that part of your comment on my cost of living article as it will surely help a lot of people understand how cheap Romania can really be!
Hello, I am applying for a job in Romania from China. The employer is responsible for taxes and insurance, as well as accommodation and meals, and pays me 1,000 Euros every month. Can I live well in Bucharest?
Definitely! Accommodation and food would be the biggest expenses, so not having to worry about these leaves you with lots of things to do on 1,000 per month 🙂
Hello, I am a Romanian by birth, leaving abroad for 20+ years, in fact, changing several countries in Western Europe.
I see a comment above regarding corruption and bureaucracy. Well, I do not believe 1 second those being true or higher than other countries.
I leave in France right now, and I can assure you bureaucracy is higher than in Romania. Besides, I see nobody mentioning security in Romania, probably the highest in Europe.
Regarding wages, the following: at large city, living standard for a upper range salary is one of the best in Europe. Indeed, it is negatively compensated by small city and village, well beyond Western European standards.
You take your partner out Saturday and have a great evening on any large city for. 40- 60Euro, with drinks, 3 course dinner… it would be 150Euro in France or Italy, Barcelona or Madrid. Up to 400Euro in Norway.
Hi. It is my understanding that there are a large amount of online ‘models’ based in Romania. I wonder if they are likely to earn closer to the minimum wage or if their earnings are better than that?
I am a social scientist who is currently researching the adult industry and am interested in earnings. I found your article very enlightening about the general income and living costs in the country and if I can find specifics regarding my area of study that would be fantastic!
Yes, this is a booming industry in the country and the people working there usually earn way more than the average Romanian makes per month. You can search for job postings online and you’ll see that salaries usually start at around 1,500 Euros per month.
Hi I found this article quite useful. Can you please help me out as I’m planning to move to Romania(Bucharest). I belong to audit, finance and accounting profession and have little idea about the minimum and maximum wages per month there.
What is the scope of this field in Romania.
Per month cost of living keeping in mind I’m planning and want to save around 1000-1200 Euros per month as well
I am really sorry, but unfortunately I don’t have any idea regarding potential salaries in this field…
I’m from nepal and planning to visit Romania for work purpose in factory with 550 euro monthly is this enough for me they r providing accommodations as they are saying…and does companies take our passport one we start working or not?
and can we work another jobs in cash there after finishing our 8hours shift ?please reply honestly if not then I will try another county its important for me so please😣🙏🏼
If the amount paid is net (take home), then the salary is pretty good by Romanian standards, as long as accommodation is covered. If the amount is before tax, you’ll lose around 40% to taxes and end up with an amount that’s close to the minimum wage here, which would not be enough.
I am not sure about the practices of the companies regarding passports, but I see no reason why they would keep your passport 🙂
Very well documented article. Very nice. I think there’s one mistake, though. In the beginning you mention the average wage being 3900 lei gross, but shouldn’t it be 4000 lei net?
Thank you for spotting that mistake, Alex. I’ve corrected the sentence.
Hi Calin,
thanks for posting these updates. What baffles me is the high tax rate: The salaries gros v net in your article are ~30%. I was under the impression Romania had a flat 10% rate. Am I mistaken? What else is deducted?
Actually, taxes are around ~45% from a gross salary. The 10% is just the income tax, but you also have to pay 25% for social security (if you have a business, you might be able to opt to pay less, but not as an employee), as well as 10% for health insurance.
Hello,
I am waiting my working visa to move to Bucharest. I got a job offer for an online cassino with a payment of 9800 ron net + bonus, free acomodation and utility bills for 1 year. I have a wife and a daughter 3 years old. How good can I live with this amount?
Also, if you know anything about family reunion visa let me now.
Thank you for this post, it helped me a lot.
The amount you have (even without bonuses) should be enough for a good life for you and your family, at least for the first year. Accommodation and utilities would probably be around 700 Euros on the lower side – but you have time to figure out costs and actual income (eg how big the bonuses are).
I have an article about getting a residence permit here: https://www.romaniaexperience.com/how-to-get-a-residence-permit-in-romania/
Your Article is very helpful to many like me. I am coming for studying an undergraduate degree program in Bucharest. Can I work part timely there to bear my expenses?
your reply will be appreciated
Yes, you are allowed to work part time while studying.
Hi! Thanks for the article, it gives a clearer picture of the job market in Romania! I moved here for a few months (expat since a toddler lol) just for fun while finishing online studies. I’m planning to apply to some part time jobs especially retail. In the US you’re allowed to have nontaxable income up to $10K+ and there were exceptions to students paying the social security etc taxes. I’m not sure about tax in Romania, is there also a minimum taxable amount, esp when it comes to the social security etc taxes? 45% seems quite high, maybe because I just always earned a little bit as a student lol.
Taxes work a bit differently as a self-employed, but if you get employed, the ~45% is the norm (paid by the employee). A part-time contract, however, might also work a bit differently – however, I don’t know the specifications.