Every rate below is sourced and dated. Figures are annual, in EUR, for a single person with one income.
On €100,000 a year as a founder taking dividends, Romania leaves you with €79,133 against €72,726 — a difference of €6,406 a year.
The income at which the answer changes, derived from the same rules as the tables below. Ranges stop where a regime stops being available, so nothing is claimed beyond it.
| Gross | 🇷🇴 Romania Employee |
🇵🇹 Portugal Employee (standard IRS) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €50,000 | €29,250 41.5% wedge |
€33,064 33.9% wedge |
€3,814 Portugal keeps more |
| €100,000 | €58,500 41.5% wedge |
€57,442 42.6% wedge |
€1,058 Romania keeps more |
| €200,000 | €117,000 41.5% wedge |
€101,497 49.3% wedge |
€15,503 Romania keeps more |
| Gross | 🇷🇴 Romania PFA — sole trader (sistem real) |
🇵🇹 Portugal Self-employed (simplified regime, services) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €50,000 | €36,341 27.3% wedge |
€33,629 32.7% wedge |
€2,712 Romania keeps more |
| €100,000 | €80,850 19.1% wedge |
€60,003 40.0% wedge |
€20,847 Romania keeps more |
| €200,000 | €170,850 14.6% wedge |
€114,294 42.9% wedge |
€56,556 Romania keeps more |
⚠ Portugal: this regime only applies up to €200,000 of turnover — above that the figures in the last row do not apply.
| Gross | 🇷🇴 Romania Micro-SRL (1% turnover) + 16% dividend |
🇵🇹 Portugal Company dividends (IRC 15/19% + IRS on 50% of dividends) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €50,000 | €37,553 24.9% wedge |
€38,855 22.3% wedge |
€1,303 Portugal keeps more |
| €100,000 | €79,133 20.9% wedge |
€72,726 27.3% wedge |
€6,406 Romania keeps more |
| €200,000 | €139,272 30.4% wedge |
€135,820 32.1% wedge |
€3,452 Romania keeps more |
Keeping more only matters if it buys more. Against the EU average, prices are 41.1% lower in Romania and 14.7% lower in Portugal. So that €100,000 founder income is really worth €134,351 in Romania and €85,260 in Portugal at EU-average prices — Romania comes out ahead once prices are counted.
Price levels: Eurostat — purchasing power parities, COICOP 2018 (prc_ppp_ind_1), Actual individual consumption (COICOP A01), 2025. Source