Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Romania Property Pack
Everything you need to know before buying real estate is included in our Romania Property Pack
This article covers the current housing prices in Romania, with a focus on Bucharest where neighborhood breakdowns are most meaningful.
We update this blog post regularly to make sure you always have the freshest data available.
And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Romania.
Insights
- Bucharest apartment prices rose about 17% year-over-year through late 2025, but after adjusting for inflation, the real gain is closer to 6% to 8%.
- New construction in Bucharest commands a 12% to 15% premium over existing homes, largely due to better energy efficiency and modern layouts.
- The typical asking-to-closing discount in Romania sits around 4% to 7%, meaning buyers often negotiate down from listed prices.
- Studios and one-bedroom apartments in Bucharest tend to have the highest price per square meter because they are easy to rent out.
- Prime neighborhoods like Primaverii and Herastrau can reach 35,000 RON per square meter, while value areas like Rahova stay around 7,000 to 9,500 RON.
- Over the past 10 years, Bucharest apartment prices have roughly doubled in nominal terms, though the real increase is closer to 40% to 60%.
- Around 85% of Bucharest listings are apartments, with houses and villas making up only about 15% of the market.
- With $100,000, you can realistically find a small studio or older two-room apartment in peripheral Bucharest neighborhoods like Berceni or Militari.
- For $500,000, buyers can access premium renovated four-room apartments in Cotroceni or new three-room units in Floreasca.
- Notary fees, registration costs, and light renovation can add 3% to 8% on top of the purchase price in Romania.
What is the average housing price in Romania in 2026?
The median housing price is more useful than the average because it is not skewed by a few very expensive luxury properties, giving you a better sense of what a typical buyer actually pays.
We are writing this as of the first half of 2026 using the latest data collected from authoritative sources like Imobiliare.ro and Colliers Romania, which we manually verified for accuracy.
The median housing price in Bucharest in 2026 is around 600,000 RON, which converts to roughly $139,000 or about 118,000 euros. The average housing price is higher at approximately 712,000 RON, or about $165,000 and 140,000 euros, because larger and luxury units pull the mean upward.
For 80% of residential properties listed in Bucharest in 2026, you can expect prices to fall between 356,000 RON and 1,070,000 RON, or roughly $82,000 to $247,000.
A realistic entry range in Bucharest in 2026 is 230,000 to 356,000 RON, which is about $53,000 to $82,000 or 45,000 to 70,000 euros, and this budget typically gets you a studio or small two-room apartment in neighborhoods like Rahova or Berceni in older buildings.
Luxury properties in Bucharest in 2026 start around 2,550,000 RON and can exceed 6,100,000 RON, which translates to $590,000 to over $1,400,000 or 500,000 to 1,200,000 euros, and this includes penthouses in Herastrau or large renovated apartments in Primaverii with premium finishes.
By the way, you will find much more detailed price ranges in our property pack covering the real estate market in Romania.
Are Romania property listing prices close to the actual sale price in 2026?
The estimated difference between asking prices and final closing prices in Romania in 2026 is typically 4% to 7% below the listed amount.
This gap exists because sellers often set prices with negotiation room built in, especially for properties needing updates or sitting on the market for weeks. The discount is usually smaller for new builds from developers and for rare units in prime locations with strong demand.
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What is the price per sq m or per sq ft for properties in Romania in 2026?
As of early 2026, the median housing price in Bucharest is around 10,940 RON per square meter, which is about $2,530 or 2,150 euros per square meter. The average is slightly higher at approximately 11,700 RON per square meter, or $2,710 and 2,300 euros, and when converted to square feet, the median is about 1,016 RON or $235 per square foot.
Smaller apartments like studios and one-bedrooms in central locations tend to have the highest price per square meter in Romania in 2026 because they are popular with investors and renters, while large older apartments in peripheral areas have the lowest.
In Bucharest in 2026, the highest prices per square meter are found in Primaverii and Herastrau, ranging from 22,000 to 35,000 RON per square meter, while the lowest are in Rahova and Berceni, where prices range from 7,000 to 10,500 RON per square meter.
How have property prices evolved in Romania?
Compared to one year ago, Bucharest apartment prices in January 2026 are up about 15% in nominal terms. This increase happened because housing supply remained tight while demand stayed strong, supported by rising wages and somewhat easier financing conditions.
Looking back 10 years, Bucharest apartment prices have roughly doubled from around 1,050 euros per square meter in 2015 to about 2,200 euros per square meter in 2026. This long-term growth reflects Romania's economic convergence with Western Europe, urban concentration of jobs and services, and a shift toward newer, higher-quality housing stock.
By the way, we've written a blog article detailing the latest updates on property price variations in Romania.
Finally, if you want to know whether now is a good time to buy a property there, you can check our pack covering everything there is to know about the housing market in Romania.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Romania versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
How do prices vary by housing type in Romania in 2026?
In Bucharest in 2026, apartments make up about 85% of listings, with studios at 15%, two-room apartments at 35%, three-room at 25%, and larger units at 10%, while houses and villas account for the remaining 15% because the city is predominantly an apartment market.
Average prices by property type in Bucharest as of the first half of 2026 are roughly: studios at 280,000 RON or $65,000 or 55,000 euros, two-room apartments at 611,000 RON or $141,000 or 120,000 euros, three-room apartments at 967,000 RON or $224,000 or 190,000 euros, four-plus room apartments at 1,630,000 RON or $377,000 or 320,000 euros, townhouses at 1,500,000 to 2,300,000 RON or $350,000 to $530,000, and villas starting at 3,000,000 RON or about $700,000.
If you want to know more, you should read our dedicated analyses:
- How much do properties cost in Romania?
- How much should you pay for a house in Romania?
- How much should you pay for lands in Romania?
How do property prices compare between existing and new homes in Romania in 2026?
New construction in Bucharest in 2026 costs about 12% to 15% more per square meter than existing homes, with new builds averaging around 2,430 euros per square meter compared to 2,130 euros for older stock.
This premium exists because new apartments typically offer better energy efficiency, modern elevators and parking, and contemporary layouts, while developers also face higher construction costs for materials and labor that get passed on to buyers.
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How do property prices vary by neighborhood in Romania in 2026?
In Herastrau and Aviatiei in northern Bucharest, you find mostly newer apartments and premium mid-rise buildings, with prices ranging from 900,000 to 2,000,000 RON or $208,000 to $463,000 or 177,000 to 393,000 euros. This area commands high prices because of its parks, restaurants, proximity to offices, and convenient airport access.
In Dorobanti and Floreasca in central-north Bucharest, you find renovated older apartments alongside boutique new builds, with prices from 800,000 to 2,300,000 RON or $185,000 to $532,000 or 157,000 to 452,000 euros. These neighborhoods attract buyers willing to pay for central lifestyle, walkability, and strong status appeal.
In Pipera in the northern villa zone, you find townhouses, family homes, and gated communities, with prices from 1,400,000 to 2,500,000 RON or $324,000 to $579,000 or 275,000 to 491,000 euros. Families pay a premium here for space, international schools nearby, and secure compound-style living.
You will find a much more detailed analysis by areas in our property pack about Romania. Meanwhile, here is a quick summary table we have made so you can understand how prices change across areas:
| Neighborhood | Character | Avg Price Range | Avg per sqm | Avg per sqft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahova | Entry / Value | 250k-450k RON ($58k-$104k) | 7,000-9,500 RON ($1,620-$2,200) | 650-885 RON ($150-$204) |
| Berceni | Entry / Family | 280k-550k RON ($65k-$127k) | 7,500-10,500 RON ($1,735-$2,430) | 697-975 RON ($161-$226) |
| Titan | Family / Parks | 320k-650k RON ($74k-$150k) | 8,500-11,500 RON ($1,970-$2,660) | 790-1,068 RON ($183-$247) |
| Militari | Commute / Value | 300k-650k RON ($69k-$150k) | 8,000-11,500 RON ($1,850-$2,660) | 743-1,068 RON ($172-$247) |
| Drumul Taberei | Commute / Popular | 350k-750k RON ($81k-$174k) | 9,000-12,500 RON ($2,080-$2,890) | 836-1,161 RON ($193-$268) |
| Tineretului | Central / Family | 450k-950k RON ($104k-$220k) | 10,500-14,500 RON ($2,430-$3,360) | 975-1,347 RON ($226-$311) |
| Cotroceni | Classic / Premium | 550k-1.2m RON ($127k-$278k) | 12,000-17,000 RON ($2,780-$3,940) | 1,115-1,579 RON ($259-$366) |
| Unirii | Central / Commute | 550k-1.3m RON ($127k-$301k) | 12,000-18,000 RON ($2,780-$4,170) | 1,115-1,672 RON ($259-$388) |
| Victoriei | Central / Prime-lite | 650k-1.5m RON ($150k-$347k) | 14,000-20,000 RON ($3,240-$4,630) | 1,300-1,858 RON ($302-$430) |
| Floreasca | Prime / Popular | 800k-2.0m RON ($185k-$463k) | 16,500-25,000 RON ($3,820-$5,785) | 1,533-2,322 RON ($355-$538) |
| Dorobanti | Prime / Expat | 900k-2.3m RON ($208k-$532k) | 18,000-28,000 RON ($4,170-$6,480) | 1,672-2,601 RON ($388-$604) |
| Primaverii / Herastrau | Luxury | 1.5m-6m+ RON ($347k-$1.39m+) | 22,000-35,000+ RON ($5,090-$8,100+) | 2,044-3,252+ RON ($474-$754+) |
How much more do you pay for properties in Romania when you include renovation work, taxes, and fees?
When you include closing costs and potential renovation in Romania in 2026, expect to pay roughly 3% to 8% more than the purchase price alone.
If you buy a property around $200,000 (about 864,000 RON) in Bucharest, your additional costs for notary fees, registration, and a light refresh might add 17,000 to 30,000 RON or roughly $4,000 to $7,000. That brings your total all-in cost to approximately 881,000 to 894,000 RON or $204,000 to $207,000.
For a property around $500,000 (about 2,160,000 RON), you might spend 35,000 to 65,000 RON on fees plus 85,000 to 195,000 RON on a full renovation if needed. Your total could reach 2,280,000 to 2,420,000 RON or roughly $528,000 to $560,000.
For a property around $1,000,000 (about 4,320,000 RON), fees might run 65,000 to 130,000 RON, with premium renovation or finishing adding 130,000 to 320,000 RON. Your all-in cost could be 4,515,000 to 4,770,000 RON or approximately $1,045,000 to $1,105,000.
By the way, we keep updated a blog article detailing the property taxes and fees to factor in the total buying cost in Romania.
Meanwhile, here is a detailed table of the additional expenses you may have to pay when buying a new property in Romania
| Expense | Category | Estimated Cost Range and Details |
|---|---|---|
| Notary Fee | Legal / Closing | Typically 0.5% to 1% of the property value for most buyers, calculated on a tiered scale. For a 500,000 RON apartment, expect around 2,500 to 5,000 RON ($580 to $1,160). The notary collects this at signing and handles the transfer documentation. |
| Land Book Registration | Registration | Usually a small percentage for individual buyers, often around 0.1% to 0.5% depending on the specific rules. For a 500,000 RON property, this might be 500 to 2,500 RON ($115 to $580). Your notary will confirm the exact amount at closing. |
| Technical Checks / Documentation | Due Diligence | Costs for property certificates, energy performance certificates, and legal checks range from 500 to 2,500 RON ($115 to $580). These verify the property's legal status and condition before you commit. |
| Agent Commission | Fees | Often paid by the seller in Romania, but not always, so clarify upfront. When buyers pay, expect 1% to 3% of the purchase price. On a 500,000 RON apartment, this could be 5,000 to 15,000 RON ($1,160 to $3,470). |
| Light Renovation | Renovation | Cosmetic updates like painting, flooring, and minor fixes cost around 300 to 600 RON per square meter ($70 to $140 per sqm). For a 60 sqm apartment, budget 18,000 to 36,000 RON ($4,170 to $8,340). |
| Full Renovation | Renovation | Complete overhauls including new kitchen, bathroom, electrical, and plumbing run 700 to 1,500 RON per square meter ($160 to $350 per sqm). A 60 sqm apartment could require 42,000 to 90,000 RON ($9,720 to $20,830). |
| Furniture and Appliances | Comfort | Basic furnishing starts around 10,000 RON ($2,300), while fully outfitting a home can reach 80,000 RON ($18,500) or more. This is optional but important to budget if you are buying an empty property. |
We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Romania compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.
What properties can you buy in Romania in 2026 with different budgets?
With $100,000 (about 432,000 RON), you can find a studio around 30 sqm in Berceni in basic condition, a small two-room apartment around 45 sqm in Militari in an older building, or a studio around 32 sqm in Rahova that needs cosmetic work, though this budget is tight for Bucharest and limits you to peripheral neighborhoods.
With $200,000 (about 864,000 RON), you can find a two-room apartment around 55 sqm in Drumul Taberei near the metro in decent condition, a new-build two-room around 50 sqm in the Theodor Pallady area with standard finishes, or a three-room apartment around 70 sqm in Titan near parks.
With $300,000 (about 1,296,000 RON), you can find a renovated three-room apartment around 80 sqm in Tineretului, a new two-to-three-room apartment around 70 sqm in Aviatiei with good connectivity, or a smaller townhouse around 110 to 120 sqm on the Pipera fringe.
With $500,000 (about 2,160,000 RON), you can find a high-end renovated four-room apartment around 120 sqm in Cotroceni, a new three-room apartment around 100 sqm in Floreasca, or a family townhouse around 140 to 160 sqm in a Pipera compound.
With $1,000,000 (about 4,320,000 RON), you can find a premium renovated large apartment around 160 sqm in Dorobanti, a newer penthouse around 140 sqm with a terrace in Herastrau, or a villa around 250 sqm in a northern premium pocket.
With $2,000,000 (about 8,640,000 RON), you are in a thin market segment, but you can find a signature penthouse over 200 sqm in Primaverii with top finishes, a villa over 350 sqm in Primaverii with a large plot, or you could combine two adjacent units in Herastrau or Dorobanti to create a super-apartment of 250 to 300 sqm.
If you need a more detailed analysis, we have a blog article detailing what you can buy at different budget levels in Romania.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Romania, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can ... and we don't throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why It's Authoritative | How We Used It |
|---|---|---|
| Imobiliare.ro | Romania's largest real estate portal with a long-running city-level asking-price index based on large listing volumes. | We used it as the main price-per-square-meter anchor for Bucharest apartments and the new-versus-old spread. We translated those figures into realistic total budgets for common apartment sizes. |
| Colliers Romania | A major global real estate consultancy that explains demand and supply drivers using official datasets and market research. | We used it to explain why prices moved, including supply constraints and demand factors. We also used its growth framing to keep our forward estimates realistic. |
| Eurostat | The EU's official statistics body that defines what the House Price Index measures and how it is used. | We used it to ground the official view that residential prices are tracked as an index. We leaned on its definitions when discussing nominal versus inflation-adjusted changes. |
| ECB EUR/RON Rate | The European Central Bank's official reference rates are widely used and transparent for EU currencies. | We used it to convert euro figures into RON using late December 2025 reference levels. We kept conversions rounded for easy reading. |
| ECB EUR/USD Rate | The ECB's official reference rate page for USD with daily values and downloadable data. | We used it to convert euro figures into dollars consistently using late December 2025 levels. We also computed implied USD/RON rates from the two ECB rates. |
| DLA Piper REALWORLD | A structured legal guide from a major international law firm with clear fee examples and buyer cost items. | We used it to estimate notary and Land Book registration costs consistent with Romanian practice. We turned those rules into all-in budget add-ons. |
| National Union of Notaries Public Romania | The official professional body for Romanian notaries that clarifies what fees are collected and remitted. | We used it to confirm that the notary is a key collection point for certain taxes around transfers. We used that to keep the closing costs explanation accurate. |
| ECB Inflation Data | The ECB data portal provides harmonized inflation series for EU member states including Romania. | We used it to estimate real versus nominal price changes over time. We applied inflation adjustments to show what prices actually mean in purchasing power terms. |
| Business Review | A Romanian English-language business publication that reported on historical price levels citing Imobiliare.ro data. | We used it to establish historical context for 2015 price levels. We compared those to current prices to calculate ten-year changes. |
| DLA Piper Tax Guide | A legal guide covering taxation of real estate transactions in Romania from a respected international firm. | We used it to understand tax obligations for buyers and sellers. We incorporated those details into our all-in cost calculations. |
| Local contractor pricing | Current market rates from renovation contractors operating in Bucharest provide real-world cost benchmarks. | We used these rates to estimate light and full renovation costs per square meter. We applied them to typical apartment sizes to give concrete budget examples. |
| Portal listing analysis | Direct analysis of current listings on major Romanian real estate portals shows what is actually available. | We used listing analysis to verify property type breakdowns and neighborhood price ranges. We cross-checked our estimates against what buyers actually see in search results. |
| Currency conversion calculations | Standard mathematical conversions using official ECB rates ensure consistency across all figures. | We applied 1 EUR = 5.09 RON and 1 EUR = 1.18 USD throughout the article. We rounded all conversions for readability while staying faithful to underlying values. |
| Market composition estimates | Analysis of listing volumes by property type gives insight into what the market actually offers. | We estimated the 85/15 apartment-to-house split from search result analysis. We used this to explain why most price data focuses on apartments. |
| Neighborhood premium analysis | Documented patterns in prime versus peripheral pricing are well-established in Bucharest real estate. | We used the known premium structure to build neighborhood price ranges. We applied these consistently to the citywide index anchor. |
| Asking-to-closing gap research | Market participant feedback and transaction analysis reveal the typical negotiation discount. | We estimated the 4% to 7% gap based on market practices. We explained when this gap is larger or smaller. |
| New versus existing stock analysis | The Imobiliare.ro index separately reports new and existing home prices, showing the premium clearly. | We used the reported 14% premium as of November 2025. We rounded to 12% to 15% for January 2026 to account for market variation. |
| Ten-year historical comparison | Comparing current prices to documented 2015 levels shows long-term market evolution. | We calculated the nominal doubling from about 1,050 to 2,200 euros per square meter. We adjusted for inflation to estimate real gains. |
| Square meter to square foot conversion | Standard conversion factor of 1 sqm = 10.764 sqft allows comparison for international readers. | We divided all sqm prices by 10.764 to get sqft equivalents. We rounded these for easy reading. |
| Budget example construction | Combining price-per-sqm data with typical unit sizes creates realistic budget examples. | We matched dollar budgets to what they actually buy in different neighborhoods. We gave specific examples with sizes and conditions. |
| Colliers supply analysis | Professional analysis of construction deliveries and authorization pipelines explains supply constraints. | We used their findings to explain why Bucharest prices rose despite economic headwinds. We linked supply shortage to price increases. |
| Wage and financing context | Economic analysis of Romanian wage growth and mortgage conditions explains demand resilience. | We used this context to explain why demand stayed strong. We connected improved incomes to continued affordability for many buyers. |
| Expat neighborhood identification | Known patterns of international buyer preferences in Bucharest inform neighborhood recommendations. | We identified Herastrau, Dorobanti, and Pipera as popular expat areas. We explained why each appeals to international buyers. |
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