Budgeting App for Expats in Romania

Romania has been in the EU since 1 January 2007, but it uses the Romanian leu (RON), not the euro. It has committed to adopt the euro once it meets the conditions¹.

Borderless Budget connects to major Romanian banks including Banca Transilvania, Banca Comercială Română, BRD Groupe Societe Generale, and CEC Bank through secure bank connections, and your accounts in the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein connect too.

Major banks for expats

• Banca Transilvania
• Banca Comercială Română
• BRD Groupe Societe Generale
• CEC Bank

Cash vs. card culture

Check which currency your lease names. If it's euros, agree up front whether you pay in euros or in lei, and at which day's exchange rate, so the amount you budget matches what leaves your account.

Communication is another low line: Romania had the EU's lowest price level for communication in 2025³. If you earn in euros or dollars, the leu rate decides how far that goes each month.

Because the leu isn't the euro, anything you pay in Romania changes in dollar or euro terms whenever the rate moves. Tracking every currency in one place shows the real trend instead of a guess.

Transferring money to Romania

• Compare the leu rate your bank offers with Wise or Revolut before each transfer.
• If you're paid in lei but still have bills at home, a fixed monthly transfer is easier to budget than converting whenever a bill arrives.

Borderless Budget tracks all of your accounts, your home-country bank, your Romanian bank, and services like Wise or Revolut, in a single dashboard. Exchange rates update daily, so your budget always reflects where things actually stand.

• Romania generally applies a flat personal income tax rate of 10%⁶.
• The tax year runs from 1 January to 31 December, and the general filing deadline for the annual return is 25 May⁷.
• The 25% social insurance and 10% health insurance contributions come on top of income tax, so budget from your net pay, not your gross⁵.
• The US taxes its citizens on worldwide income from all sources, wherever they live⁸.

1. Budget daily life in lei and rent in whatever currency your lease names. Converting everything in your head adds noise, not clarity.
2. Watch the leu against your earning currency. Even a small move changes what a euro rent costs you if you earn in dollars or lei.
3. Ask whether a flat's rent includes building maintenance fees and utilities, and put them on their own budget line.
4. Keep your home-country bills, like subscriptions, loans and phone plans, in their own currency so you can see what Romania actually costs you.

Connect your Romanian and home-country banks

Link your Banca Transilvania, Banca Comercială Română, BRD Groupe Societe Generale, or other Romanian bank alongside your home-country bank. Transactions from all accounts sync automatically into one dashboard.

Budget in RON and your home currency

Your budget is set in your home currency, and Borderless Budget automatically converts every transaction, whether it's in Romanian leu or your home currency. You can toggle any transaction to see the original currency amount. Exchange rates update daily, so your budget always reflects reality.

Automatic categorization

Transactions from Romanian merchants are automatically categorized. Categorization improves as you use the app, learning your patterns across both currencies, so you spend less time sorting transactions and more time living your life in Romania.

See the impact of exchange rates

When exchange rates shift, your combined budget view updates automatically. You'll see exactly how currency movements affect your overall spending, no surprises, no guesswork.