Are we living better or worse than 20 years ago? What Romanians say about apartment prices versus salaries
20 years ago, an apartment was a distant dream for most on low wages, and today, while incomes have risen significantly, housing prices have risen at the same rate—or even faster. The result? More and more Romanians say that “they don't have enough money” and that access to housing is more difficult than ever. Between the progress on paper and the pressure of real life remains the same uncomfortable question: are we living better or just more expensive?
Many Romanians say that they don't have enough money even for everyday living. Photo 123 RF
“That's how bad housing prices are we have selective memory and inflationary lifestyle?
As far as I remember, around 2005, a 2-room apartment in a communist block in my city (small to medium-sized city) was about €20,000-€25,000, but with salaries of 750-800 lei, so it was still not very easy to purchase an apartment normally. Besides that, we all lived much worse, many lived for three days on reheated soup, many did not have cars, but now it has reached a more decent level, at least in the urban level.
Back then, salaries were much lower, there were times like 2008, when it was much worse than now, but everyone around me tells me that it was better then. Although I was a child, I really don't remember it being much better back then, if we compare the prices back then with the wages back then.” wrote a netizen on a social media page.
Urging readers to express their opinion, he pointed out that it seems to him that things have changed a lot in the last 20 years, because now most Romanians have a more expensive lifestyle than then, “from reheated soup to takeout,” but also that inequality has actually increased: “Now there are families, especially in the province, who raise two children with an income of 8-9000 lei, but in Bucharest or other big cities there are 25-year-old people with incomes of €2500, but much higher prices for everything around. Yes, of course, there were better times, like in 2015-2019 when Romania was macroeconomically stable and had greater purchasing power”.
Trying to answer the challenge, some users claim that perception “it was better before” is often influenced by selective memory and people's habit of forgetting the hardships of the past. In this regard, one commentator pointed out that people adapt quickly to rising living standards and tend to regard the new standard as normal, but react much more strongly when it falls. From this perspective, current discontent would reflect recent fluctuations rather than long-term structural deterioration.
Other participants brought up the years 2000–2006, recalling that although housing prices seemed lower in nominal terms (eg €20,000–25,000 apartments in small and medium-sized cities), wages were also very low and access to goods and services was much more limited. In practice, they say, daily life was often characterized by deprivation, low consumption, and poor infrastructure: housing without modern improvements, difficult transportation, modest food consumption, and few opportunities for recreation.
“In 2008 I didn't even ask for juice, because it was expensive”
Another important point was the idea that Romania is living today a “inflationary lifestyle“, where spending has increased not only because of prices, but also because of changing consumption habits. If in the past people limited their spending to the bare necessities, today consumption includes food deliveries, daily coffees, subscriptions, cars and vacations, which changes the perception of the cost of living.
“I feel that going out in the city, ordering food at home, shopping of various categories or traveling are now mandatory. It's not a bad thing, but I was having a conversation with a friend who was telling me that he can't raise any money. Well, of course you can't with a similar lifestyle. We all know how to spend money.
In 2008 I was a child, but I remember that the crisis had affected us so badly that my family was calculating food supplies for x time. I was a child and I didn't even ask for juice because I thought it must be expensive and we didn't have money.
As someone said above, I also think that we quickly get used to the good and forget as quickly as it was with the bad. Even with the economic instability, I think it's still ok here. Real estate prices are with the satellite, but it is important to always refer to our budget and remember that not all of us have to stay in the city center. That this is also a problem, how can I not afford to live in the government? You probably couldn't afford it even 10-15 years ago, there are expensive areas because the location gives the price many times. If location didn't matter, prices wouldn't be high, people wouldn't all want to be in the same place, etc”, wrote another participant in the discussion.
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On the other hand, several users drew attention to the increase in inequalities and to the large differences between urban and rural environments or between social categories. The examples ranged from families with incomes of 8,000–9,000 lei living comfortably in the province, to people in big cities with incomes of 2,500 euros who still feel financial pressure due to high housing prices and urban costs.
Wages have increased, but apartment prices have increased even more
The real estate discussion is a central one. Many have noted that while wages have risen significantly since the 2000s, home prices have risen at an even faster rate in major cities. The examples from Cluj or Bucharest show major differences: from 60,000–70,000 euro apartments in 2010–2015, to 150,000–200,000 euro for similar properties today, while access rates and costs have increased proportionally or even more.
However, some users have argued that the wage-to-house price ratio is not necessarily worse than in the past, claiming that average wages have increased several times and overall purchasing power is higher than in 2005. At the same time, others have disputed this idea, stating that although incomes have increased, essential costs (food, energy, housing) have advanced at a faster pace, reducing the real pressure felt by the population.
Other netizens advanced the idea that Romania is in an intermediate position: clearly above the standard of living of the 2000s, but with greater pressure than in the period 2015-2019, considered by many as a “window of stability and growth.” In addition, many users pointed out that recent inflation has hit the low- and middle-income groups harder, where the share of essential expenses is much higher.
“I say this, that housing prices have increased more than the average prices and than wages. I remember when you could buy a studio apartment in Bucharest for 10-12,000 dollars and my salary was around 4-500 lei. After which prices started to rise, I bought years later for 40,000 euros“, wrote a netizen.
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What was the average net salary in 2006?
Regarding the average net monthly salary, according to the data of the National Institute of Statistics, in 2006 it was 826 lei net monthly in January, reaching 1,099 lei net monthly in December 2006.
How much do apartments cost in 2026
A final market analysis shows that at the level of two-room apartments, the differences between cities and between new and old homes become very clear when they are reported at the threshold of 110,000 euros.
According to the analysis, in the segment of new homes, below this level are Iasi (97,656 euros), Sibiu (101,816 euros), Oradea (102,804 euros), Timișoara (105,820 euros), Bucharest (107,536 euros), Craiova (108,264 euros) and Constanța (108,680 euros), while Brașov (119,912 euro) and Cluj-Napoca (169,624 euro) exceed the threshold of 110,000 euro.
In the case of old apartments, six of the analyzed cities remain below the price of 110,000 euros, respectively Oradea (93,756 euros), Timișoara (100,568 euros), Sibiu (101,036 euros), Iași (102,700 euros), Craiova (108,888 euros) and Constanța (109,304 euros), while Brașov (121,888 euros), Bucharest (135,928 euros) and Cluj-Napoca (169,832 euros) are above this threshold. The highest values are found in Cluj-Napoca, regardless of the type of housing, while Oradea and Iași remain the cheapest markets in the segment of old and new housing, respectively.
