Chitila vs Braila

Chitila is a cheap, quiet commuter town of 15 thousand people where a one-bedroom outside the center runs $210/mo and a monthly transport pass costs $15, with OTP just 4 km away. The catch is that the average local net salary is $839/mo, so the $3,700/mo income floor on the Romania Digital Nomad Visa prices out most remote workers, and the limited English plus a very few expat community means you are largely on your own. If you want low costs and easy airport access without city noise, it works; if you need a built-in social scene or strong healthcare, look elsewhere.

A one-bedroom in central Bucharest runs about $508 a month, roughly a third of what the same unit costs in a mid-size US downtown. Add a flat 10% income tax and $659 in monthly living costs, and a modest remote salary stretches far. The digital nomad visa requires at least USD 3,700 per month, setting a bar above median local earnings but below typical upper‑middle income levels in many source countries. Worth it if you clear that bar and can live without a large English-speaking expat network.