Romania real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend
- Average price: $2,257 / m²
- 12-month price change (USD): 11.5%
- Transaction cost: 2.5%
- Price basis: national average
Residential property in Romania averages $2,257 per square metre, +11.5% in dollar terms over the last twelve months. That makes it the 70th most expensive of the 99 markets in the set.
What a buyer pays in Romania
The $2,257 figure is a national average across all residential property types, which flattens a wide spread — the capital typically runs far above it and small towns far below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 2.5% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $5,644 on top of the $225,744 purchase price. That is below the 10% median across the set, which shortens the time it takes for a purchase to break even. Inside Romania we also track Bucharest separately, where the average is $2,585 — 14.5% above the national figure.
What it earns
We publish a price for Romania but no rental yield. No public rent figure exists for this market at the same geographic level and from the same source as the price, and we do not estimate one: a yield built from two unrelated sources would describe no real property. On the way out there is a third tax: a non-resident seller pays 1–3% on the gain, depending on how long the property was held and who is selling.
How the tax works. 8% of the gross rent: 10% income tax on 80% of the rent after the 20% standard expense allowance (Romanian Fiscal Code, Law 227/2015, Title IV). The health contribution (CASS) applies only above RON 24,300 of net non-salary income, as a fixed amount per bracket. Short-term tourist letting uses a 30% allowance, about 7% of gross.
Where the price sits against its own history
Prices are +24.6% over five years and +52.4% over ten in local terms.
Romania house price index, 2016–2026 (2016 = 100)
| Year | Index |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 100 |
| 2017 | 106.1 |
| 2018 | 112 |
| 2019 | 115.8 |
| 2020 | 121.2 |
| 2021 | 126.6 |
| 2022 | 135.6 |
| 2023 | 140.1 |
| 2024 | 147.1 |
| 2025 | 155.6 |
| 2026 | 171.8 |
Rebased to 100 in 2016, the index stands at 171.8 in 2026.
Who can buy in Romania
Freehold for condos; non-EU land ownership only through a company. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.
How this figure is built
The price figure for Romania is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-13. We rate our confidence in this market’s data medium: the series is usable, but thinner or less current than our best-covered markets. We recompute every market the same way; a figure that fails our checks is suppressed, not guessed.
Sources: Imobiliare.ro Index · imobiliare.ro · ec.europa.eu · globalpropertyguide.com · agerpres.ro. Snapshot: 2026-10-13.
Related markets: Bucharest