As a responsible adult, you have started to track your spending and streamline your daily expenses. But you don’t know how you compare to the average. In this article, we offer you a realistic picture of the fixed monthly costs in Romania in 2025.
The list of monthly expenses may vary depending on where you live, your lifestyle, personal circumstances, and other individual factors.
Housing
One of the most significant monthly expenses is housing. Costs vary considerably depending on the city and type of housing.
- Rent for a 2-room apartment in a large city (e.g., Bucharest, Cluj, Timișoara): 1,800–2,500 lei
- Mortgage payment for the same home: 1,600–2,200 lei + local taxes and fees
If you live in a smaller city or in a studio apartment, costs can drop below 1,500 lei/month.
Monthly bills
Utility bills are fixed expenses, but not necessarily predictable, as they depend on the season, consumption, and the supplier.
- Electricity: 150 – 350 lei
- Natural gas (varies greatly depending on the season): 100 – 1,000 lei
- Water and sewerage: 50 – 200 lei
- Sanitation: 20 – 40 lei
- Internet and TV: 50 – 80 lei
- Mobile phone (average subscription): 30 – 60 lei
Utility expenses can reach 300-700 lei per month, depending on the season and consumption.
All these bills can be paid directly from the Pago app, without having to wait in line or visit multiple websites. Connect your providers once and all your bills will automatically appear in the app, with notifications before the due date.
In addition, for every payment made in Pago, you receive cashback points in the app that you can later convert into discounts on future payments. In other words, you pay your bills more easily and save money at the same time.
Food and personal consumption
The budget for food and personal products varies depending on individual habits, but according to recent studies conducted by INSSE, they account for over 40% of monthly expenses.
- Single person: 600–1,200 lei
- Family with 2 adults and 1 child: 2,000–2,800 lei
These expenses may vary depending on the sources of supply or the frequency of online orders.
Transportation
Transportation costs may be lower or higher depending on the means of transport used and the frequency of travel.
- Public transport (monthly pass): 70 – 120 lei
- Fuel (for an average driver, approx. 500 km/month): 400 – 700 lei
- RCA + vignette + car taxes (calculated monthly): 100 – 350 lei
If you have a car, with Pago you can quickly and easily pay for your RCA, bridge toll, and vignette, without wasting time on multiple websites or apps. In the case of car insurance, you can compare prices from several insurers, choose the best option for you, and pay directly from the app. In addition, you receive notifications when your RCA, vignette, or ITP is about to expire.
Other common expenses
There are also costs that vary depending on your lifestyle and financial commitments. If we were to divide them into categories, these expenses can be grouped as follows:
- Gym/sports/hobby membership: 100–250 lei
- Private/health insurance: 50–200 lei
- Installments/other loans (phones, appliances, etc.): variable, 100–500 lei
According to the INSSE study, these costs add at least 100 lei to total monthly expenses, but may vary depending on personal choices.
Estimated total for a single person:
These are estimated typical expenses that a person living alone in a large city in Romania may have each month.
| Type of expense | Approximate monthly cost |
| Housing (rent) | 1.600 – 2500 lei |
| Utilities + internet | 350 lei |
| Food and personal consumption | 600 – 1.200 lei |
| Transportation | 100 – 600 lei |
| Miscellaneous / other costs | 300 – 600 lei |
| TOTAL: | 2.950 – 4.550 lei |
Monthly expenses may vary depending on the city, lifestyle, and responsibilities. However, if you live alone in a large city, you need an average of 3,700 lei/month to cover all basic costs.
