Large corporations that have opened their headquarters in Romania have expanded not only the office market, but also the residential rental market. Apartments for expats, or more broadly for renters with above-average incomes, are becoming an increasingly profitable niche in the real estate market. Labor market trends of recent years, such as digital nomads or working from home, allow foreign workers to move to countries with a lower cost of living for the same comfortable life. And for those already here, working from home all the time, even a few days a week, quickly meant a greater interest in what it’s like at home.

If a foreigner were to look for a rental in our big cities today, it would not be difficult for him to find an ideal home, by the standards of Western markets, but for much less money. More and more ads in English are already appearing on real estate sites: “2 bedrooms, 1st rent, underground parking included” or “beautiful two rooms for rent.” Real estate agents rely on such keywords when brokering deals for rents that can easily reach 1,000 euros per month, even for 50 square meters, in areas of Bucharest that until recently were classified as “bedrooms”.

And at these rates, which exceed the average net salary in our country, Bucharest does not beat the big capitals of Europe. According to Eurostat, last year the average monthly rent for a two-room apartment (two bedrooms = three rooms) in Bucharest was €730. For a smaller two-room/one-room apartment, the average rent was €510.

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