Tax comparison
🇷🇴Romania vs 🇵🇱Poland
At €80,000 gross, the net annual salary is 234,797 lei in Romania and 211,434 zł in Poland, a gap of about €4,278 per year once converted. Once each side is put at its own price level, the order reverses: about €79,000 of purchasing power in Romania against €72,000 in Poland. EXPATRIATION.IO comparison, 2026 tax scales: adjust the gross salary and the household below.
Enter in EUR. Converted to local currency automatically.
Comparing taxes: Romania and Poland
Romania (country) and Poland (country) have distinct approaches to taxing employment income. On a gross salary of €80,000, the effective total deduction rate is 45.0% in Romania compared to 39.7% in Poland. That translates to a difference of roughly €4,278 per year in favor of Poland.
In Romania, income tax amounts to 42,690 lei and social contributions add 149,416 lei. In Poland, income tax is 70,626 zł and social contributions are 68,301 zł.
The net annual take-home is 234,797 lei in Romania and 211,434 zł in Poland (amounts in respective local currencies, converted from the same EUR gross). These figures assume a single filer with no children or special deductions. Actual results vary based on household composition, deductions, and specific tax credits available in each jurisdiction.
Equivalent gross and tipping point
At €80,000 gross in Romania, about €72,600 gross is needed in Poland to reach the same net salary.
That figure answers the same net. For the gross that gives back the same purchasing power, restated at each side's price level, the two answers sit side by side.
Across the €30,000 to €250,000 gross range, Poland leaves the higher net salary at every level tested.
Detailed comparison at €80,000 gross
| Romania | Poland | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross annual salary | 426,904 lei | 350,360 zł |
| Income tax (national or federal) | 42,690 lei | 70,626 zł |
| Social contributions | 149,416 lei | 68,301 zł |
| Total deductions | 192,107 lei | 138,926 zł |
| Net annual salary | 234,797 lei | 211,434 zł |
| Net annual (EUR equivalent) | €44,000 | €48,278 |
| Net monthly salary | 19,566 lei | 17,619 zł |
| Effective deduction rate | 45.0% | 39.7% |
Amounts are shown in each local currency (RON and PLN); EUR equivalents are converted at reference exchange rates last updated on 2026-10-05.
Pay compared
On pay itself, the 2022 European Structure of Earnings Survey gives, on one definition for both sides, full-time gross annual earnings averaging €16,575 in Romania and €17,484 in Poland. The medians, less sensitive to very high salaries, are €12,688 and €14,242. Scope: enterprises with 10 or more employees, public administration excluded. The survey is quadrennial and 2022 is its latest edition.
Breakdown of social contributions
Romania
| CAS (pension) | 106,726 lei |
|---|---|
| CASS (health insurance) | 42,690 lei |
| Total contributions | 149,416 lei |
Poland
| Pension (emerytalna) | 27,582 zł |
|---|---|
| Disability (rentowa) | 4,239 zł |
| Sickness (chorobowa) | 8,584 zł |
| Health insurance (zdrowotna) | 27,896 zł |
| Total contributions | 68,301 zł |
Examples at several salary levels
| Gross (EUR) | Rate Romania | Net Romania (EUR) | Rate Poland | Net Poland (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €45,000 | 45.0% | €24,750 | 34.6% | €29,431 |
| €80,000 | 45.0% | €44,000 | 39.7% | €48,278 |
| €120,000 | 45.0% | €66,000 | 40.6% | €71,300 |
| €250,000 | 45.0% | €137,500 | 41.6% | €146,121 |
These figures assume a single filer with no children; the tool above lets you adjust the salary and the household configuration (married, 1 to 3 children).
Cost of living
Consolidated cost-of-living index (Paris = 100): Romania 56, Poland 67. This index is derived from official household price levels (Eurostat, World Bank, and the BEA regional price parities), published on a New York base and restated here against Paris. On a gross salary of €80,000, the net amounts adjusted to this index correspond to a purchasing power on the order of €79,000 for Romania and €72,000 for Poland, at Paris price levels.
To go further: the cost-of-living comparison and the city budget calculator.
Sources: Romania: anaf.ro, tax year 2026 · Poland: podatki.gov.pl, tax year 2026
This tool provides estimates based on public datasets. It is not the opinion of a tax lawyer. Consult a tax lawyer, a chartered accountant or a licensed financial professional before making relocation or employment decisions.