Rents could be up to 20% more expensive this summer – and not for real reasons, experts warn
The rental market is entering the season of pressure, and there are signs in major cities that prices could rise temporarily this summer by as much as 20% amid high demand from student and worker mobility. The phenomenon, which is repeated almost annually, is described by specialists as a seasonal adjustment, but it comes in a context where the level of rents is already high, and the differences between market estimates and official statistics continue to fuel the confusion regarding the real rate of price increases.
The rental market is entering full pressure season. Archive photo
The rental market in Romania enters, every year, a period of seasonal adjustment in the summer months, when demand rises sharply in the big university towns. This context can lead to temporary increases in the prices requested by owners, without necessarily reflecting a structural change in the market.
Daniel Crainic, director at Imobiliare.ro, warns that this phenomenon is repeated annually and has a predictable component.
“Because of seasonality, every year there is a speculative spike in mid-summer and September, after which things return to normal. This is repeated annually. The spike can be as high as 20%“Crainic declared for “Adevărul”.
But he points out that these increases are not supported by long-term economic realities.
“Today, we don't have the conditions in the market for major increases in the private sector, and I mean purchasing power”he explained.
A stable market in the big cities, but at high levels
The rental market in Romania continues to maintain high levels in the major urban centers, without major variations from one month to the next, but with significant differences between cities and housing types.
In Bucharest, the average rent is around 594 euros per month, while in Cluj-Napoca the level is around 570 euros, according to a market analysis carried out by Storia. At the national level, the average rent is 503 euros in May 2026, very close to April 2026 (505 euros) and to May 2025 (500 euros), which indicates a generally stable evolution in the last year.
Stability is also seen in the structure of the market, where the variations are spot rather than general. In Bucharest, for example, studios reached an average price of around 395 euros, up 3% from last year, while two-room apartments remained at around 583 euros, and three-room apartments fell slightly, by 2%, to 846 euros.
Differences between sectors remain important. Studio apartments range from 380 euros in Sector 2 and Sector 4, to 449 euros in Sector 1, where one of the highest annual increases of 7% is also recorded. In Sector 5, the level is around €400, up 14% from last year, while Sector 6 remains stable at around €399.
In the segment of two-room apartments, rents start from 500 euros in Sector 4 and reach 680 euros in Sector 1, where there is an increase of 5% compared to last year. In the rest of the sectors, the values are relatively stable, with around 650 euros in Sector 2, 550 euros in Sector 3 and Sector 5 and 520 euros in Sector 6.
The biggest differences appear in the three-room apartments. Here, prices range from around €600 in Sector 6 to €1,100 in Sector 1, where there is an 8% drop compared to last year. In Sector 2, the level is around 900 euros, and in Sectors 3 and 5 around 700 euros, with mixed developments, from stability to increases of 8% in Sector 5.
Where are the highest and lowest rents in Romania
The highest and lowest rents in the cities
In the big cities outside the Capital, the differences are just as clear. Cluj-Napoca remains the most expensive market, with 400 euros for studios, 550 euros for two rooms and 700 euros for three rooms, while Brasov remains stable at 350 euros for studios, 500 euros for two rooms and 650 euros for three rooms.
At the opposite pole, cities such as Arad, Oradea or Sibiu remain among the most affordable markets, with studios between 225 and 300 euros and two-room apartments around 350–430 euros, without major variations from one year to the next.
In Iași and Craiova, the market is slightly more volatile in the small segments, where studios have seen adjustments of a few percent, while two- and three-room apartments have generally remained stable or decreased slightly, within the range of 2-5%.
Overall, the data shows a rental market that is stable in terms of dynamics, but tense in terms of levels, with strong differences between cities and segments, without a uniform trend of accelerated growth at the national level.
The paradox in the data: increases of more than 40% in statistics, more moderate developments in the market
The official statistics indicate a significantly stronger dynamics of rents than that reflected in the real estate platforms. According to the National Institute of Statistics, rents increased by 33.5% compared to March and by 34.8% compared to December 2025, and compared to April 2025 the annual advance reaches 43.78%.
By comparison, housing market data shows much less variation over the past year, with relatively stable levels in major cities and moderate differences by housing type and area.
Daniel Crainic says that the evolution observed in the market does not support the magnitude of the increases reported by the official statistics.
“We do not see this 43% increase. She is not seen in the market. It does not exist in the market. Residential rents that we refer to, one-room, two-room, three-room apartments, did not increase by 43%“Crainic declared for “Adevărul”.
It explains the differences by how the data is collected and updated.
“I think it depends on the methodology applied by the INS. Probably some prices were adjusted there, they updated the rents to the state after 19 years“, he added.
State rents have doubled, after 19 years
The government approved, on April 2, the updating of the monthly rent rate for homes located in the public or private domain of the state, as well as for those belonging to administrative-territorial units. New rates will also apply to service housing, intervention housing, dormitories for employees of companies and autonomous governments, as well as their related yards and gardens.
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According to the Ministry of Development, the legislation stipulates that the basic rent rate, expressed in lei per square meter, be updated annually according to the inflation rate, until January 31. However, the last update was made in 2007, which required a significant correction.
“This decision was necessary because the last update of the basic monthly rent rate was made in 2007. For example, currently, the rent for a house with a living area of 50 sqm is 42 lei, and after the rate update it will be 101.08 lei”stated the Minister of Development, Cseke Attila.
According to the new calculations, the rent for a three-room apartment with a living area of 80 square meters has increased to 161.73 lei, from 67.20 lei. For an apartment with four rooms and 120 square meters, the rent increased from 100.80 lei to 242.60 lei.
