Romania is a beautiful country. The cities have a mixed French and German architectural style. The landscapes are of great beauty: long beaches, charming castles, medieval villages, beautiful mountains, forests and plains. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in Romania?
Large centers offer all the advantages and disadvantages of the city, while life in small towns in the north of the country or in Transylvania is much slower. Life in the countryside and in the cities is completely different. Few pubs or restaurants of acceptable standard, few stores, bumpy roads and poor public transportation. On the other hand, people are much more hospitable, rental costs are really cheap and you live in the middle of nature.
Compared to other EU countries, Romania still lags behind in terms of infrastructure, which affects both the general economy and people’s daily lives. Traffic in Bucharest, for example, is always chaotic, with drivers constantly honking their horns and insulting each other.
The state administration is very inefficient in all areas: from tourism, maintenance and management of public goods to corruption and waste. When something is managed by the state, the result is almost always a disaster. The laws are numerous, outdated, and often impossible to interpret objectively. Bureaucracy is a plague in Romania. For all.
But at least ,Romania is one of the safest countries in Europe, contrary to the image the media paints of it. In fact, some of the worst Romanians have moved to Western European countries to pursue criminal activities, which has led to the legend that all Romanians are criminals. In reality, Romania is generally a very safe country. Only in Bucharest is the crime rate slightly higher than the national average, but here it is always minor crimes such as robberies or pickpocketing.
The public schools are generally quite good. In the big cities, and especially in Bucharest, there are also many good international schools and kindergartens.
In general, life is quite cheap, although recently the prices of all products are increasing and especially in big cities rents are becoming more and more expensive, but compared to other Western countries, the cost of living is cheaper.
People are generally very friendly and open-minded, (especially if you speak a little Romanian). This friendliness towards foreigners, which is part of their culture, allows you to integrate easily and make friends. The other side of the coin is the fact that many think that as a foreigner you are a nabob, so you are treated as if you are some kind of tycoon and many try to take advantage of you
Speaking of jobs, Romania has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. Currently, there are good employment opportunities. Workers in health care, tourism, construction, back office, call centers and IT are in high demand. Many employers have real difficulties in hiring staff. So for job seekers, if they are qualified, it should be relatively easy to get a job. Salaries vary greatly and are very unbalanced, ranging from 500 to 5,000 €/month, and this is a big problem.
Romania is a country that has attracted in the past and still attracts many foreign entrepreneurs who move their production here or start a business taking advantage of the opportunities that the country offers.
The advantages are:
Cheap labor: the salaries in Romania are low
Skilled labor: people are intelligent and well educated
Work culture: Romanians are used to hard work
Corruption: many people use this aspect to solve practices and problems faster
Very low income taxes
The disadvantages are:
- Bureaucracy: things are slow, you need a lot of documents for everything
- Corruption: sooner or later you have to pay a bribe
- Infrastructures: they are improving, but there is still a lot to be done
Living and working in Romania pros and cons
Living in Romania, pros
- Beautiful landscapes and beautiful nature
- Cordial and hospitable people
- Low cost of living
- Ease of doing business
Living in Romania, cons
- Public services remain generally inadequate (health, transport, etc.)
- Corruption is still a widespread
- Bureaucracy is very high
- Underdeveloped welfare
Living and working in Romania, conclusion
You should not expect Romania, just because it is part of the EU, to be comparable to the more developed and economically prosperous European countries.
Life in Romania is very different depending on where you live. In Bucharest, for example, life is like any other European city. In the countryside, on the other hand, conditions are quite poor.
In summary, Romania is not the worst country to emigrate to, but it is not the best either. There are still many aspects that need to be improved.