Why Expats, Retirees and Digital Nomads Should Consider Making Romania Their New Home

Today, I have a special article for you: the reasons why you should consider making Romania your new home or at least your home base when exploring Europe.

The article is written by this blog’s reader, JC, who accepted my proposal to write this piece, sharing his point of view on this matter.

It’s a nice read that might be exactly what you need if you’re unsure if Romania should be on your list or not. So, let’s see what JC has to say about making Romania your new home!

Why Choose Romania as Your New Home

C. has created a wonderful blog here for anyone seeking more info about Romania, either as a wonderful alternate holiday/vacation spot or even as a great new place to settle down.

For many expats/retirees from all over the world, and especially those where the cost of living is substantially higher, Romania can be an especially attractive option, even if based on a financial basis alone, with the caveat that you have a source of income, savings or retirement benefits from outside the country.

driving in Romania

Unfortunately, decent paying jobs within Romania are far and few between, and that goes even for Romanians, much less for anyone from outside the country who’s not fluent in the language.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s say you have a source of income from outside of Romania, be it from a mobile or online career, or through savings and/or retirement benefits.

Let’s also presume that you aren’t put off or discouraged by a hearty four season climate, including hot summers and cold winters. The good news is that you may even be one of those that find the seasonal changes appealing.

Now get ready, because if none of those things actually deter you, then Romania may be the ideal destination for you!

Notice I didn’t say perfect, because perfect doesn’t exist, but ideal in that of those things most important to you, Romania checks off all the right boxes on your wish list.

Of all of the places in the world you could chose to visit (or decide to retire), Romania has some of the most beautiful countryside you’ll ever see, including the mountains of Transylvania, Black Sea Beaches, ski resorts, and with an amazing variety of hills and plains all across the country.

Romanian city

In addition, you’ll find some of the most spectacular castles in the world, along with amazing historical architecture, and a vast variety of authentic small towns and villages spread out across the country that feel almost frozen in time, and with friendly welcoming local folk.

It’s also important to note there are an abundance of excellent restaurants, great fresh fruits & vegetables, an abundance of amazing local wines for a song, along with the pedestrian friendly cities that are also part of the what awaits you.

The larger cities have great local theater and musical concerts throughout the year that are very affordable as well.

The people are genuine & friendly, the internet speeds are among the fastest and cheapest in the world, and you are but a train ride away from some of the most exciting European cities that you’ve always wanted to visit.

Now, and more importantly, if you receive your salary or retirement benefits in pounds, Euros or U.S. dollars, you will find you can live quite comfortably in Romania for a fraction of what you could in your home country.

For example, a U.S. retiree on a typical monthly S.S. income of $1,300, has roughly twice the buying power of the average Romanian worker.

The two other priorities that most expats are generally concerned with are your healthcare options and the general safety of the cities regarding all levels of crime.

Healthcare is generally decent, but better when you can find a good private doctor for most of your medical needs, yet even these are still reasonable by most major Western city standards.

As far as your personal safety goes regarding overall crime & statistics, I predict you’ll be amazed when comparing your home city to most cities in Romania via numbeo.com. You will most likely find that the differences are astounding.

peaceful sunset in Sibiu

As an example I compared the overall crime stats of Sibiu Romania to Orlando Florida, my home town. Sibiu was so much safer across the board, it made Orlando look like a war-zone.

This is a huge plus for many expats looking for a safe place to retire. Violent crime is almost non-existent in Romania compared to almost any large city across the U.S. today.

Ultimately, nothing else can compare with actually being there and experiencing the wonders of Romania firsthand. So you should really make plans to visit Romania and travel all around as much of the countryside as possible.

While you’re there take advantage of the unique opportunity to gain a better appreciation the breathtaking scenery & the rich culture of it’s people.

Check out several of the larger cities to see & better understand the differences and variety of lifestyles Romania has to offer.

From Bucharest, to Brasov and Sibiu and then over to Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara, they can give you an pretty good idea of the rich and interesting culture and variety of environments you have to choose from there, each with their own unique vibe.

Why you should live in Romania

Prior to your trip, you can check out some of the travelogs on YT or Google street views and live cam feeds to get a small idea and feel for what to expect, while also seeing some of the different cities activities before you visit.

Finally, if you hadn’t even thought about Romania before as a amazing alternative for a vacation getaway, or better yet, that ideal retirement destination, then you are doing yourself a great disservice if it’s not near the top of your short list of places too consider!

Calin
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18 thoughts on “Why Expats, Retirees and Digital Nomads Should Consider Making Romania Their New Home”

  1. Really good and informative post JC! See, you’re halfway there with writing your own blog. Excellent reasons why one should consider Romania. Your money goes a long way, and if you don’t have to actually work in the country, then it’s all good. Do your research, check out the places thoroughly. Google is your friend as stated to get some sort of idea, but nothing beats boots on the ground.

    Reply
    • Streetview, if available, is also great. But indeed, nothing beats being there. I just saw that most people or, better said, most articles you can find on a specific country or city tend to be overly positive and leave some of the bad things behind or put them in a better light. You can’t know for sure unless you are there and see for yourself.

      Reply
  2. Calin’s on a roll, and Kemkem has regained her #1 position. All is right in the world!
    JC brings up some excellent points. My main focus is the lack of crime in Romania. Heck, here in the States, I am afraid to venture into crowded, or popular venues for fear of being shot! I wouldn’t have that fear in Romania.
    Yes, the extreme heat and cold may be daunting (especially for one living in the Pac NW) but it seems the US weather (these days) is even more extreme. Plus, there isn’t the threat of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other extreme weather events in Romania.
    It helps that English is widely spoken and understood. (Calin probably speaks and writes English better than I do;-)
    I hope as time progresses, more and more people will invest in the country and bring jobs back, so that many of the young people won’t need to emigrate. It’s sad that so many of the educated and work-able men and women have been forced to seek a living elsewhere.
    So, the picture atop is from where? It’s lovely.
    ~Teil (USA)

    Reply
    • I am happy to hear that JC managed to tick all the right boxes. Hopefully the young people will not have to leave anymore…

      The picture atop is of Valea Oltului. I don’t know the name of the village, though, but Valea Oltului (where the Olt River passes) is really nice!

      Reply
      • Thanks again Calin for the opportunity to put together this article for your blog of all my reasons for believing Romania makes such an amazing destination and ideal retirement spot for a variety of people looking for just the right place. I have certainly romanticized & become passionate about the idea of ultimately retiring in Romania, and for all the wonderful reasons I tried to cover in the article.

        Reply
  3. Hi everybody,
    I am interested in the tax rules. Coming from the States and moving to Romania are we going to be taxed under the Romanian tax laws. Is anyone there who is residing in Romania under this scenario? I will be interested to find out from one of you.

    Greatly appreciated,
    Mike

    Reply
    • Hi Mike,
      Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about the subject will have some advice, but in the meantime, maybe this site linked below could offer some helpful tips. I am planning on retiring to Romania from the states early next year myself. My plan is live solely on my social security benefits while there, not touching any other retirement savings. My understanding as far as S.S. is this, as long as you’re not in one of 13 states that tax the benefits, then you’ll pay no taxes at home or in Romania.

      But then beyond that, everything starts to become more complicated once you have any kind of income from anywhere worldwide, or purchase real estate, etc. It’s probably best at that point to find a local tax attorney to be sure you’re covered. Good luck and you might at least get a start here:

      https://m.taxesforexpats.com/romania/us-tax-preparation-in-romania.html

      Reply
  4. Romania seems like a very nice place and I plan to visit it one day. I checked about Rosetta Stone and they do not have Romanian. Where is a good place to learn Romanian?

    Reply
    • Hi Brian,
      Here is a link for Nico’s channel on YT where she has a number of lessons in Romania language (I think about 35?), and it’s a good place to start and she is very good. Also, If you want to just google “learn Romanian language”, you will bring up a ton of other sites, some are on YT, and others have their own websites, but most are free as well. Good luck! Here is the link to Nico’s channel:
      https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKrAcUGNwkSMOhLgNuQAwg/videos

      Reply
  5. JC you are a match for C’s writing abilities. Good to see you have found this way to impart you knowledge/experience as you have and will have so much to share. I am very curious how the financial management side of this works out for you. SS sounds easy enough but hope you draw other incomes or learn of ways to draw down a 401k/IRA without incurring to much tax penalty. Good to see Calin has developed this way for us to work together as his is the most advanced web site on Romania available and certainly appropriate for our needs of working out a smooth transition to actually living in Romania. His website offers great insight into what Romania would be like if a person was to choose to retire there. Thanks again to both of you for sharing your knowledge and experiences as it is a great resource to all of us.

    Reply
    • Hi Otto,

      Thanks, but C. is the pro here, I’m still doing this for fun right now! 😉 It is interesting what you bring up about the best way to get your money and best way to make it accessible once living there. I read on other sites that it’s getting more difficult for foreigners to open up accounts in Romanian banks. Also, getting money or transferring in on a regular basis through ATM, etc, gets expensive. I haven’t started to focus on this aspect yet, but as I get closer to leaving for Romania, I will concentrate on finding out more details about all of this, and basically everything I can at that time.

      And Calin my friend, even if I get more involved in creating and trying to maintain a travel blog specific to Romania at some point, I don’t think I’d ever see us as competitors but more allies, part of the same community who are inspired to try and help educate people about Romania, the culture, everything it has to offer and all the different ways or perspectives in which to enjoy it. You will always be able to offer something that I or most others can not, the interesting and unique perspective of one who was born and raised in Romania, and who is also raising a family there.

      So few people are writing about Romania and all of her secrets, treasures, abundance of beauty, and rich culture, that there is plenty of room for more blogs about traveling there, expanding much needed expat forums, showcasing amazing tourist spots, or exploring the culture along with some of the many challenges and opportunities for those who may even choose to live there long term. As I’ve said before, there are a ton of writers and sites dedicated to many other exotic or more popular and well known vacation and/or retirement locations all over the world. Ultimately, Romania still remains one of the best kept secrets, that could be incredibly as either, or both, and the more people writing about it, the better! 🙂

      Reply
  6. My husband and I sort of fit all 3 categories and are shortly moving to Brasov. And I understand broadband speeds are excellent. Much better than the UK where we have lived since meeting each other 26 years ago. Very excited and it’s great to find this site.

    Reply
  7. Actually, there is very little to zero real facts about what your friend JC writes in this opinion piece.

    Is it so safe because all the Roms have emigrated to the west and invaded decadent countries like Italy, France, Germany (STASILAND) or is it because the USA are so unsafe thanks to usurper pedophile joe biden and his puppetmasters and useful idiots?

    Please provide concrete examples of how less it costs in Romania than the rest of the world otherwise it’s just another opinion with no backing.

    Reply
    • There are plenty of articles on this blog detailing the low cost of living, cost of housing, and cost of everything.

      The good thing about opinions is that they are indeed personal and not everybody is obliged to agree with them. Although, in this case, I do agree with JC’s opinion, otherwise I wouldn’t have published the article 🙂

      Reply

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