What It’s Like to Work Remotely in Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu, Romania is one of the most interesting little towns that I’ve ever been to. In fact, it was recognized as the Cultural Capital of Europe back in 2007. Although most people wouldn’t think to spend five weeks in such a small city, I’m glad that we did.

Because remote work on the rise, more and more people will likely begin spending more time in places like Sibiu to get away from nomad hubs like Thailand and Bali.

So, here’s what it’s like to work remotely in Sibiu.

Cost of Living

In general, the cost of living in most Eastern European countries is much lower than Western European countries.

Thus, the cost of living in Sibiu is quite reasonable. We paid around $600 for a month in a nice studio apartment from Airbnb right in the center of the city.

Food

The food in Sibiu is surprisingly good.

We made friends with a local brewery owner who recommended several restaurants for us, and every single one that we went to was delicious. For such a small city, there’s quite a variety of cuisines but traditional Romanian food is always a great choice, too.

Transportation

Getting around Sibiu and the surrounding areas is actually pretty easy.

There are taxis everywhere (no Uber), busses, and a train system. Whether you need to go to the grocery store, on a day trip, or out to a city like Brasov, there are always affordable ways to get there.

If you’re in the city, you’ll have no problem walking to almost everything that you need.

Nightlife

If you’re looking for a party, Sibiu isn’t the place to go. It’s a very quiet little city, and there are plenty of places to go during the day if you’re after a glass of wine or a beer.

However, the city itself slows down around 10:00 p.m. and is pretty much dead by midnight. While there are a few places to go later at night, it definitely isn’t a party town.

Tourism

We stayed in the city for five weeks and didn’t even get to see everything that we wanted to see in the Transylvania region.

For how small of a city Sibiu is, there are quite a few things to see and do around the city itself. It wasn’t named the capital of culture for nothing. In addition, there are a lot of great day trips and weekend trips that you can take from Sibiu if you want to get out of the city.

Working

One of the best things about Romania for remote workers is that the internet is insanely fast in Romania. Our internet at home was regularly around 120 Mbps upload and download.

There are a few nice cafes sprinkled around town, but there aren’t really a lot of coworking spaces just because there aren’t that many remote workers in the area.

What we found to be the best place to work was the Starbucks right in the city center because there were a ton of tables, outlets, outdoor seating, people watching, and no pressure to keep ordering drinks since it’s a corporation.

The Takeaway

Overall, I think that Sibiu is a great place for remote workers as long as you know what to expect.

While there won’t be a massive expat community or giant parties every weekend, it’s a great place to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet.

There’s almost always something going on, there’s nice food, and plenty of great trips to take. If you have the opportunity, I would definitely recommend checking it out for at least a month.

Guest Author: Daniel Constable is the co-founder of Slight North, a travel publication taking the hassle out of planning, showing people how to leave the office behind, and proving that you can save money while doing it.