Best cities to live in Romania

Hi,

It's not always easy to decide in which area to settle in when moving to Romania. According to you, what are the best cites to live in?

Which regions offer most of the job opportunities, a good quality of life, an affordable cost of living?

Share with us the cities you would recommend to expats and soon-to-be expats in Romania.

Thank you in advance,

Julien

Hi Julien,

I have been living in Cluj for the past 4 your and I enjoy it very much. The city is very lively, there is always something happening (festivals etc..). Cluj is also a very fast growing town with a good range of job and housing opportunities I would say. The historical city tenter is not big, but very pretty. For me personally Cluj is a very good compromise when it comes to size. I think there are over 300 000 inhabitants (+students), therefore there is pretty much anything you would need, yet the traveling distances between different parts tare quite small, allowing you to walk a lot or not to spend so much time in the public transportation. On the other hand there is always what to explore :)

I haven't lived in any other Romanian city, but as far as my Cluj experience goes, I can definitely recommend it.

Cheers,

Ivona

Hi,

I guess Sibiu and Timisoara are nice places to live. Brasov is not bad either.

Br,

Abdul.

Brașov can become boring and lonely, after the first year, if mountaineering is not your cup of tea;) Also, there is not a strong expat community, so don't dream having a new circle of friends in town. Brasov people tend to keep to themselves. As a couple you might survive Brasov, but as a singleton is a big no-no!!

My vote goes to Cluj and/or Bucharest.

my opinion. bucharest, brasov, constanta(summer time)

well how about Galati?

Jayden4576 wrote:

well how about Galati?


From people I've known and spoken to, it's not a great place for expats.  It's not a big city with a lot to do.

I lived in cluj for 3 years. I wouldn't say it was a great place at all. Litter is around each and every housing complex. To drive from one side to the other can at times take an eternity!

Drivers are crazy. Yes they are. Often there are accidents which involve drunks. Wrong side of the road in urban areas is common!

There is a youtube site which i do not have to hand which is dedicated to drivers here.

Yes there are a lot of events going on. So much so with the noise that older buildings tend to crumble.

If you like peace and quiet, avoid blocks. Thete are regultions in place to stop noise abuse. But they are rarely enforced properly.

I would not say cluj is pretty either. Far from it. It's noisy, parks are quite nice if you can put up with the latest trend of men exposing themselves, thieves, kids on drugs.

I have found the police to be vety competant. The fire brigade exceptional. I really mean this too. They have tough jobs in this city.

The job market fluctuates greatly from one month to another. IT seems to be the biggest employer along with the financial sector.

If you like cities, then go for it. Cluj is city like others. There are better places i feel though.

Hope this helps

@ Joe Teddy,

Well, you described many cities in Romania, it's just the way it is in this country unfortunately.

At the end you said there are better places than Cluj, where do you think is better? :)

Coming from Iasi myself, I wouldn't necessarily say Cluj is better, or worse, but different...at least in scenery.

Hi Julien,

If you are an expat and thinking of moving to Romania then it just has to be Bucharest. I've lived here since 2000 and have seen many many changes, both in the city and the expat community.
During my time in Bucharest I have also visited much of the country and indeed there are many areas and towns which offer dramatic scenery and beautiful buildings. Sighisoara is one such town which is most definitely worth a visit.
Since coming to Bucharest I have also found the love of my life and our son attends a local school.
Compared to living in the UK, life here is so much better, but you don't have to take my word for it just come over and give it a shot for 6 months. :)

Hi Romaniac.

I've travelked a lot here. It truly is a gorgeous place. Prefering the countryside, as cold and lonely as it gets is my oreference really. But that life isn't for the faint hearted as you know.

I have a fondness for Sibiu. Its near enough to make Bucharest a shorter journey, the breathtaking mountain roads a pleasure.

I noticed there, that people drive with more thought, the city is well laid out, theres a lot to do and people seem to be more open and friendly.

Connections are very good.

Yes, sadly what I said is about on the nail, though all are not tarnished, the few wreck it for most of us.

We rank number 1 (Romania) in fatal road accidents. I cannot count the times that just 1 or 2 seconds have saved the lives of the wreckless and drunk on sharp bends. Not to mention the good drivers minding thier own business.

Thank you

In Galati is not much happening , especially for an expat. Is good for a weekend city break.

i think cluj sibiu and brasov

Have you explored Constanta? I'm not a nature lover, but many swear by the delta.

Constanța - Black Sea  ! :)
Brașov , Sibiu

Hello,
We have lived in Brasov for almost two years now and we love it we find it very family oriented a lot of parks and playgrounds and shopping the nightlife is above average mostly concentrated in “old town” the location is amazing we have traveled all around Romania and find it easy to get around from Brasov we have accumulated quite the collection of refrigerator magnets lol
Not sire about the job market but the NEW housing market is fantastic many new buildings and the rents are quite reasonable
Just our opinion 😃

Nice reply, but a bit too general. "Reasonable" rents is one thing to someone with a $7K income level and someone with half that or less. Just sayin'...

Too general ??
Are you looking for specific bars or restaurants ??
Generally the term “reasonable” is used to lead people to actually do a little research into the subject in question since it would be extremely difficult to list a range when not knowing the needs of others
So for the sake of specificity since everyone is a critic a new modern 2 camere (1 bedroom) apartment can be found for anywhere from €300 to €400 and can go up depending on the location and amenities that fit individual taste

Pardon my presumption, but I thought this site was to be one of the prime sources for this sort of research.
Yes, specific sorts of bars and restaurants. Specific cultural opportunities. Specific weather peculiarities. Specific negatives and positives, which may prove personal, but still helpful.
Your reply, for instance, was quite informative until the rental comment. I was just online with a guy considering a move and his retirement income projection made quite literally *anything* reasonable and affordable. Those of us of more modest means benefit from budgetary specificity, when known.