Interest among Romanians in rental properties remains strong, and amid tight supply, prices have risen slightly in some of the country’s major cities. And Romanians’ incomes are growing, with official data showing a 14% increase at the national level compared to the beginning of last year.

Even if the local rental market is not the most expensive in the country, residents of Brasov need more than half of their monthly salary to pay rent. On the other hand, according to an analysis by imobiliare.ro, renting a house is affordable for Timisoara residents, who pay about a third of their monthly income for an apartment.

“While tenants in Brasov pay more than half of their salary for rent, the cost of renting in Timisoara is around one-third of the average net salary, showing wide variations between cities. Thus, Timisoara remains the most affordable and attractive large city in terms of income/rent ratio. On the other hand, despite the fact that rents continue to rise, we are still seeing a slowdown in this rate as a result of increased interest in buying a home,” said Daniel Krajnik, Marketing Director of Imobiliare.ro.

The rent in Brasov is close to Bucharest, but not the salary

According to Imobiliare’s calculations, with an average net salary of 4,588 lei and an average asking price for 2-room apartments of 2,380 lei/month, Brasov residents spend 52% of their earnings on rent. ro based on internally collected data and the latest information published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

It is also important to note that Brasov ranks third in the national list of the most expensive cities for renters. In 12 months, landlords increased rents for 2-bedroom apartments by 20%, more than in Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest, where prices rose by 17% and 11% respectively.

Brasov County has the fourth highest number of employees in Romania, ahead of only Bucharest, Cluj and Timișoara, and the average net salary of employees is the seventh highest in the country and has increased by 18% compared to Brasov County. beginning of 2023 Workers in industry and construction earn above the county average.

The Brasov market is significantly influenced by the activity in the short-term rental segment, which is extremely attractive to small investors who want to secure their money in real estate investments and understand the tourism potential of the city, also supported by the new airport.

The profit that can be obtained by renting a 2-room apartment in the central area as a hotel is good, around 4,000 lei per month, according to information collected by Imobiliare.ro from the market, if you take into account the occupancy rate of 60%, maintenance costs and the average price is about 350 lei/night.

Residents of Cluj and Iasi need more than 40% of their salary to pay rent

The rents demanded by landlords in Cluj-Napoca are the lowest in the country, but incomes locally are also high, surpassed only by those earned by workers in Bucharest. Moreover, they are almost 19% higher than the national average and have increased since the beginning of last year.

An employee receives an average net salary of 5,766 lei, and if he wants to rent a 2-room apartment in Cluj-Napoca, he has to pay 2,609 lei/month, which is equivalent to 45% of his earnings.

A large part of the salary also goes to pay the rent in Iasi. At the district level, the sixth average net salary in the country was obtained. If last March the budget needed to rent a 2-room apartment was around 1,790 lei/month, now it has reached 1,988 lei/month, according to Imobiliare.ro. This amount is equivalent to 42% of salary.

How much money do you pay to rent in Bucharest?

Workers in the capital receive the highest wages, but rents are also high, even if they remained at the same level in March as at the beginning of 2024. Therefore, you need 40% of your salary of 6136 lei to cover your rent costs.

It is important to emphasize that the rental market in Bucharest has a very diverse offer, so the difference between the prices asked by the owners can be significant. If in the northern areas of the city you pay 6,000 lei/month to rent an apartment, then in the south you need a budget of about 1,750 lei/month to pay the rent.

Timisoara, an affordable city for renters

If the residents of Brasov have to carefully choose the housing they are going to rent because they will be paying significant amounts every month, when it comes to their earnings, the residents of Timisoara can consider themselves privileged. Thanks to the high local wages, it is easier for them to both rent and buy housing.

According to the INS, the average net salary in Timisoara is 5,278 lei, the third highest salary in the country after the salaries of workers in Bucharest and Cluj. On the other hand, the asking rent in Timisoara is the lowest among the main regional centers in Romania. To rent a 2-room apartment, you need an average of 1,888 lei/month, so you will have to allocate 36% of your income to rent.