Bucharest Expat » tourist

Alpha Expats

Bucharest Expat — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:07:11 +0000

When traveling to a new place for the first time, or trying to create a new life in a city that is foreign to you, the first thing you’ll try to do may be what brought you to this website in the first place. You are possibly, and probably seeking a group of people that are of “like mind”; people that share similar interests and characteristics with your self. These people will be expats or expatriates from another country (most likely your own), or they may be travelers here temporarily… or they may be groups of people that have already been assimilated in to this existing group of people. The one thing that we have noticed, and that you will notice also, is a little thing we’ll call the “alpha expat”. Surely you’re familiar with the “alpha” of the group, the one who knows all, sees all, hears all… you know… the lion king? Well there are a million of these alpha expats out there… not just in Bucharest, but everywhere. Now that we’ve tuned you in to this you’ll be looking out for it… you may even become one yourself! An alpha expat is one who has an answer for even the un-answerable questions. An alpha expat is someone knows the latest “secret” in the local community that nobody else is aware of. An alpha expat is someone who is always on top of the local “news” and knows the ins-and-outs of every piece of media propaganda being spread around. An alpha expat is the one with the business journals oozing from their briefcase pockets. An alpha expat is someone who puts a full-hearted attempt into improperly translating the local language. An alpha expat can always outdo you on a travel “experience” and drink you under the table at the local pubs… Are you an alpha expat?

Bucharest Cost Of Living

Bucharest Expat — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:01:18 +0000

Alright Everyone… here’s the biggie topic I see on the web a lot and I have thought quite a bit about this post, as I want to give some good tips and pointers to people asking this question, but will keep it strictly lodging and food for now…

Let me start off by saying that I have lived quite a few places around the World, and Bucharest, although perceived at first as one of the more expensive cities, actually is not. Now a few things have changed since the US screwed the planet and the “crisis” hit, but this is going to be a “snapshot” of how Bucharest is (in my opinion) at exactly this moment in time.

First off is the apartment/lodging/hospitality category of expenses. Bucharest has it’s share of pricey hotels, no doubt. I would say that one would expect a “good deal” or reasonable price on a room for a night would be sub-100 euros with taxes included. Well, if you kick out the Radisson, Marriot, Howard Johnson, Intercontinental, and some other uber-nice hotels here, you can actually find many “boutique” hotels that offer excellent amenities around the 70-90 euro a night rate. They will probably have wi fi in the lobby only, furnishings won’t be to die for, but you should get a decent nights sleep in a quiet clean environment. I will look around for my recommendations on “budget” lodging shortly. Hotels are an inherently expensive way to travel anyway, so with that being said, even the more expensive hotels are still on par with the international average.

Apartments (both long term and short term rentals) actual rival what I’ve found in some of the “cheapest” places around. An example is Buenos Aires, Argentina. BA, notable for its low cost of living, is actually quite high compared to Bucharest, like other cities, because of what I’ll call the “hidden costs”. Buenos Aires typically requires upfront payment of all your rent for the term, 2 months commission and 3 months deposit (anyone who argues this about BA, you have yet to learn). In Bucharest, if done properly, is not this way. Expect a long term rental in a decent area to average 450-500 euros per month for a one bedroom, 650-800 per month for a two bedroom, and so on. The absolute nicest areas in Sect 1 and city center should be more. With the short term “turn key” rentals you’ll be on par with the rest of the large European cities at weekly prices starting at that. An interesting point to follow is the point of diminishing returns for investors on larger units. When I first moved here I was in a rooftop penthouse that was extremely large with a huge terrace. It was located in the center in Unirii. I was paying 1,200 euros per month. As an investor, you’ll reach a ceiling on the rental amount you can receive on your unit, so your buying solely for appreciation as opposed to ROI at that point. This works out great for us renters if we need a lot of space or are okay with roommates! Something to keep in the back of your mind. Apartment purchases should be around the 80,000.00 Euro price starting out. This is decent areas, but small size. I will create a separate post on purchasing. Let’s move on, I would love comments and discussion and opinions on all of this so far…

Food here can be had very inexpensively if you know where to go. The highly trafficed tourist areas will jack the prices up a bit, but here’s the average:

A large pizza – 8 Euros (35 Ron)

Coca Cola – 1-2 Euros (5-8 Ron)

Great Sandwich for Lunch with Chips – 5 Euros (22 Ron)

Nice Dinner at decent restaurant (per plate) – 8 Euros (34 Ron)

Cappuccino or Double Espresso – 1.5 Euros (8 Ron)

Tipping here is typically ten percent, and is dependent on quality of service. I found the most expensive place I’ve been to eat was Madrid or Paris, with prices easily 50 % higher than this, during the crisis. Buenos Aires still wins on the food prices, but all in all, for both lodging and dining, I would compare Bucharest to cities such as Atlanta, Seattle, Barcelona, basically the “almost biggest” cities in any given region. The New Yorks, Madrids, Londons, Tokyos, Paris’ and Moscows, still stand in a league of their own as “really expensive”.

Keep an eye out for my “off the beaten path” sections that will be coming up on here next week… you’ll get a kick out of the cheaper trendy places around here as well.

Incoming search terms:

living in bucharest
cost of food in bucharest
cost of living in bucharest 2010
bucharest cost of living for expats
cost of living in euros buchurest
food prices in bucharest
food price in bucharest
bucharest expat cost of living
how much costs food Bucharest
how much a month in bucharest

Is There Variety In Food?

Bucharest Expat — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:58:08 +0000

Dining out in Bucharest can be somewhat confusing at first, as their ten to be quite a few “hole in the wall” type places you’ll need to track down in order to get out of the “I’ve found a good restaurant so I’ll stick with it” rut. An obvious tourist spot now, but for excellent reason, is a restaurant called Caru cu Bere (cart of beer) situated off Victoriei near the big banc in Lipscani. I’ll get an address later to put up here. This is a massive gothic-ish style building thats inside decor is stunning. Featuring some of the best traditional Romanian food (no corners cut here to save on costs) at a price that definitely won’t break the bank (I’ve paid more at the food court in the mall for a meal). You’ll definitely want to call ahead and arrange seating in one of the upper balconies, but on a nice comfortable night, try sitting on the patio also.

No related posts.