Numbeo: Cost of living in Romania among lowest globally
Romania remains among the most affordable countries globally and regionally in terms of the cost of living, according to the 2026 global cost of living index from Numbeo, which measures the price of everyday expenses, including rent, relative to New York, the reference point.
In the ranking, New York is assigned a reference base value of 100 for living costs. Romania, on the other hand, is given a score of 40, indicating that prices in Romania are about 40% of those in New York.
Romania appears among the countries with the lowest living costs, both in the region and at the European and global levels.
In the overall cost of living index, Romania has a score of 40.6, placing it in the second half of the global ranking at 89th. In the same cost range are Bulgaria, Armenia, Argentina, Lebanon, Cameroon, Ethiopia, all with similar index values, while below Romania are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Moldova, and Ukraine, with lower overall costs.
In Europe, Romania ranks 38th. More expensive are Serbia (42.6) and Bulgaria (41.6), while below Romania are Bosnia and Herzegovina (38.7), Russia (36.5), and Moldova (35.8). Central European states rank higher, with much higher cost of living, including Hungary (46.9), Poland (47.3), Slovakia (49.6), and the Czech Republic (53).
Some small but noteworthy regional differences appear when analyzing the index of costs excluding rent, which mainly reflects the cost of food and everyday goods.
In this category, Romania has an index of 39, below the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, but close to Poland and Bulgaria, and above Russia, Moldova, Belarus, and Ukraine.
In the region, Romania is the 6th cheapest of 10. In Europe, Romania is the 7th-cheapest country out of 44. Finally, Romania is the 43rd-cheapest country in the world, out of 131 countries counted in the presented statistics.
In Europe, Switzerland leads the ranking with an index above 110, followed by Iceland and Norway, while Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands also remain at high values.
The most expensive places to live in the world are the American vacation islands, the only ones that surpass Switzerland: Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.
(Photo source: Rochu2008|Dreamstime.com)
