EUROCOSTSCOUNTRY COMPARISON · UPDATED 2026-07-15
Portugal vs Romania: taxes, salary and cost of living
A move between Portugal and Romania is not simply a choice between a cheap and an expensive country; income, rent and taxation pull the result in different directions.
Portugal vs Romania at a glance
| Indicator | Portugal | Romania |
|---|---|---|
| Standard VAT | 23% | 21% |
| Income tax | 12.5-48% | 10% |
| Social contributions | 34.75% | 37.25% |
| Tax burden | 41.8% | 42% |
| Average monthly salary | €1,877 | €1,750 |
| Studio rent | €900 | €450 |
| Monthly food estimate | €300 | €300 |
| Gasoline | 1.73 €/L | 1.75 €/L |
| Electricity | 0.24 €/kWh | 0.27 €/kWh |
Income comparison in context
Portugal records the higher listed monthly salary. The gap is €127, approximately 7.3% relative to the lower figure. Within the numeric EuroCosts sample, Portugal ranks 18 of 27 for salary and Romania ranks 19 of 27. The nominal advantage should be tested against local housing before it is treated as additional purchasing power.
Rent, food and the monthly budget
Romania has the lower listed studio rent by €450, a 100.0% difference relative to the higher rent. Portugal sits 26 of 37 and Romania 7 of 37 in the available low-to-high rent ranking. Portugal also has the lower food estimate, so the housing result is partly offset by groceries.
After subtracting only the listed rent and food estimates, the simplified remainder is €677 in Portugal and €1,000 in Romania. This leaves €323 more in Romania, before utilities, transport, healthcare, childcare or personal taxes not already reflected in salary.
Headline taxation: what differs
Portugal has the lower listed tax burden by 0.2 percentage points. Standard VAT is 23% in Portugal versus 21% in Romania. Effective taxation depends on income level and household circumstances.
A practical transport check
Portugal has the lower listed gasoline price by €0.02 per litre. For a driver buying 50 litres a month, that headline difference is about €1 monthly, before insurance, parking and road charges.
Who may prefer each country?
For a remote worker paid from abroad, housing and daily costs may matter more than the local salary ranking; on that narrow view, Romania deserves closer attention. A locally employed professional should instead begin with salary and payroll definitions.
The most useful conclusion
Romania produces the stronger simplified monthly remainder in this dataset, while Romania leads on listed rent. The trade-off is more informative than a blanket cheapest-country label.
Sources and data references
- PwC standard VAT rates
- PwC personal income tax rates
- PwC corporate income tax rates
- EuroCosts data scope and generation process
Explore Portugal comparisons · Explore Romania comparisons