Romania
Digital Nomad Visa · Bucharest
Gigabit fibre, espresso-cheap living and zero tax under 183 days — Romania is the connectivity-and-cost sweet spot of Eastern Europe.
€5,800/mo
14–30 days
1 year
78/100
230 Mbps
High
Continental
UTC+2
Model your move to Romania
Set who's coming and what you earn. We'll handle eligibility, taxes, contributions, living costs and what you'd have left — and compare it to home.
Staying more than ~183 days?
Affects tax residency for territorial & exempt regimes.
Your monthly life in Romania
Pre-filled with typical costs in Cluj-Napoca. Drag or type to match your life.
A nice place in a popular area
Power, water, gas
Home fibre + data
Food at home
Transit, rideshare, fuel
Private cover nomads usually need
Eating out, coffee, going out
Shopping, gym, subscriptions, misc.
You're $322/mo short
Needs $6,322/mo.
Your qualifying income
$6,000
$6,000
$1,531
$4,469
Tax in Romania
Effective rate
0.0%
- Income tax / mo
- $0
- Social security / mo
- Not charged
- Total deductions / mo
- $0
- Take-home / mo
- $6,000
Under 183 days you stay outside the local system; your home country keeps covering you.
Private health insurance isn't required for this visa, but most nomads carry it — it's already counted in your living costs above.
DNV holders' foreign income is exempt while under 183 days; Romania's flat rate is just 10% otherwise (dividends/crypto gains rose to 16% in 2026, but that doesn't touch exempt foreign nomad income).
vs. United States
Tax
22.8% at home → 0.0% here
Same lifestyle costs
$3,645 at home → $1,531 here
Money left over
$988 at home → $4,469 here
Estimates for planning only — actual tax depends on treaties, your residency and personal circumstances. Confirm with official sources and a qualified advisor before you move.
What it takes to qualify
Income & savings
- Monthly income (single)
- €5,800
- Basis
- ≈3× the national average gross wage (~€5,800/mo, 2026)
- Family add-on
- +50% spouse · +25%/child
- Combine two incomes?
- Yes
Pegged to 3× the average gross wage, so it rises yearly — earned for the prior 6 months. A steep bar relative to local costs.
The visa
- Program
- Digital Nomad Visa
- Introduced
- 2022
- Duration
- 1 year, renewable
- Max total stay
- 3 years
- Fees
- $250 (approx)
- Who can apply
- Employees, Freelancers, Business owners
- Bring family?
- Yes
- Schengen access
- Yes
Visa plus residence-permit fees. Romania joined full Schengen (land borders) on 1 Jan 2025.
What you'll actually pay
Income tax
- Treatment
- Foreign income not taxed for nomads
- Headline rate
- 10%
- Tax residency at
- 183 days
- Employee social
- Usually home-covered
DNV holders' foreign income is exempt while under 183 days; Romania's flat rate is just 10% otherwise (dividends/crypto gains rose to 16% in 2026, but that doesn't touch exempt foreign nomad income).
Good news
There's effectively no local income tax to worry about on your foreign earnings here.
Reviewed Source: Romania IGI
Path to residency & citizenship
This is a lifestyle visa: great for living here now, but time on it doesn't count toward permanent residency or a passport.
The DNV is a purpose-bound temporary permit that doesn't count toward residency — you'd switch to another permit to start Romania's general 5-year PR / 8-year citizenship clock.
Reviewed Source: Romania IGI
Typical costs in Cluj-Napoca
Rent (1-bed)
$700
Rent (family)
$1,100
Groceries / person
$240
Utilities
$150
Internet
$12
Transport / person
$20
Health insurance
$45
Dining / person
$200
Cost index 42/100 vs New York · prices are about 48% of US levels (PPP). Monthly figures shown in USD.
Highlights & watch-outs
What makes it great
- Some of the fastest, cheapest internet on the planet.
- Tax-free for nomads under the residency threshold.
- Now inside Schengen with rock-bottom living costs.
What to watch
- High income bar vs. local wages.
- Healthcare lags Western Europe.
Reviewed Source: Romania IGI
Compare Romania
Head-to-head with similar destinations.
Moving to Romania from…
See the tax & cost picture for your home country.