Bucharest - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Housing options are downtown condos, condos near the embassy in a country club-type setting, townhouses near the embassy, or homes near the international school. People in the suburbs comment about a lack of sidewalks, nearby restaurants, and cabs refusing to pick up so far from town, but many families are really happy with their housing. Longest commutes for all are 20-30 mins in AM and 30-40 mins in PM. More maintenance issues occur in the townhouses and houses. Maintenance team is responsive. The housing options aren't right-sized to demand and it will take several years to acquire more downtown condos to meet interest level. If you want to live downtown, this option may not be available. - Jun 2023
State Department housing is nice. We have a spacious 3-bed, 3-bath apartment at the top of Kiseleff Park. The living room and dining room are open concept, and the kitchen has a bar island that connects it to the open plan. The kitchen is on the smaller side, but compared to New York apartments is more than ample, and it was remodeled around 2017 or so, with new appliances and a contemporary side-by-side sink. The refrigerator and oven are American-sized, and we have a huge pantry. There's a balcony off the kitchen with a clunky outdoor dining set. State Dept. people can choose to live in apartments in Sector 1, which is the nicest area of Bucharest and in the northern part of the city, or in the suburbs closer to the embassy. There's only one apartment building that's very large, in an area affectionately known as "by the Chinese embassy." It's right off the east side of Herastrau Park, and those apartments seem to be the newest. I love my location, however, and wouldn't trade it. Commute times vary. With no traffic, you can get from Sector 1 to the embassy in about 8-12 minutes in a car, or about 30 minutes by bus. With normal traffic, it'll take 30 minutes by car. On the worst day, it could take close to an hour in stop-and-go traffic. There's a bus that goes right to the embassy from Charles de Gaulle circle. There is an underground subway, but it only serves the main city center. - Mar 2019
Good, spacious housing. We have a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom house with a small yard and garage. It’s about a 15 min drive to the embassy. Most families with kids live in the Baneasa area because the houses are big and close to the schools. - Jun 2018
We lived in the houses in the suburbs of Bucharest near the American school and admittedly hated it due to lack of sidewalks, local culture and flavors, and cabs always refusing to pick us up. But many families loved it. Living in Baneasa meant they were close to school where the compounds usually were stacked with children running around the streets well into the night. It was mostly expats in my area, not from the U.S., and mostly everyone spoke English. So if that's an interest, it's a great place to be. We later moved into an apartment in the city onto a main vein of Bucharest. It was drenched with locals and expats, many languages being heard at the street cafes. Families who lived in the cities could still make use of the private school buses to pick up their children. Our apartment was between two HUGE parks and a 15 minute walk in all directions to hit a museum or seven. Tons of restaurants, cabs, noise (typical city noise) and life was in the city. My 2 young children never went lonely at the playground either. - Feb 2014
Poorly constructed houses and apartments. - Jan 2013
Nice housing opportunities. City living is great, with lots of parks and greenery. Baneasa is only 5 miles to town, but impossible to find cabs to there. - Aug 2012
Housing is superficially nice. They built a lot of new flats, but built them too quickly and cheaply. There are electrical and water damage problems all throughout our building. Traffic is an issue no matter where you live. - May 2011
Many expats live in single-family or town-homes Baneasa, a dreary, treeless suburban area far from the city with redeeming features. Others live in more centrally-located apartments. The newer apartments are nicer but can be small and expensive. The older, communist-bloc apartments should be avoided. - Jul 2010
Housing is okay. Houses in the suburb are attached and in compounds and in the city they are apartments. Most people are happy with their homes. The only issue is the construction is not well made and many people have leaks and a lot of other maintenance issues. - Dec 2009
US. Embassy personnel live in apartments in town or houses in the suburbs - "in town" is great, as you can avoid traffic by taking the metro. Apartments were spacious and nice. - Dec 2009
Along with traffic, this is one of the hassles of living here. Because the communist-era housing is so substandard, finding decent housing in the city can be hard. Most buildings look pretty forbidding on the outside but can be fine when you get inside. Older buildings will have high cielings, good floors anddecent number of windows. Oudated plumbing, heating, and overall fit an finish may be a bit lacking. The new houses out in the suburbs are huge but lacking in character and yards. Commute times vary but plan on spending forever in your car. The traffic situation is terrible and will be getting worse before it gets better. If you can use public transportation you'll be better off. Those who live in the expat enclaves in Baneasa and commute into town have it the worst. I've heard it can take up to 90 minutes to get a few miles. - Dec 2008
High density apartments buildings in the center city, soulless duplex, and 'pleasantville' arrangement in the suburbs. - Feb 2008
Housing varies. Most people with families are housed in duplexes located in the Baneasa suburb of Bucharest, close to the International School. Singles and couples are housed in various flats around the downtown area. Commute time is horrific during peak hours. Count on about 2 mph with extremely aggressive drivers. - Jan 2008
Singles and couples can live in the city, and families in Baneasa. The commute from Baneasa to downtown is horrible. - Jan 2008
