Gold rate today in Bucharest

Gold rate in Bucharest today

Converted at today's rates, pure 24k gold costs about 619.84 RON per gram in Bucharest, and 22k about 568.21 RON. Per 10 grams, a common size for small bars and rate boards, that is about 6,198.38 RON for 24k. These are spot-based figures, before any tax, premium or making charge.

The National Bank of Romania in Bucharest

The National Bank of Romania has its head office at Strada Lipscani 25 in Bucharest. From here it publishes the daily reference rates in lei, and the list includes a gold rate, code XAU, next to the currencies.

That rate is a reference figure, not a shop price. Bucharest jewellers set their own prices from the international price and add VAT and their margin, so compare offers karat for karat.

What moves the gold price in Bucharest

The Romanian leu gold price is simply the dollar price of gold multiplied by the exchange rate. Today that means about $4,042.7 per ounce times 4.7689 RON per dollar. Gold is priced in US dollars, so the lei price moves with both the dollar gold price and the USD/RON rate, which the National Bank of Romania publishes every day.

The dollar price itself responds to US interest-rate expectations, the strength of the dollar, inflation data, central-bank buying and geopolitical risk. Our guide to what moves gold prices covers each in turn.

Premiums, making charges and tax in Bucharest

The shelf price in Bucharest is higher than the converted figure above. A shop adds 21% standard VAT on jewellery (investment gold is VAT-exempt) and the seller's margin. On jewellery a making charge comes on top, so two pieces of the same weight and purity can carry very different prices. Romania's legal gold finenesses run from 333 to 999 thousandths, and jewellery carries an ANPC state mark, a responsibility mark and a fineness mark.

Gold market hours in Bucharest

The international gold market trades almost around the clock on weekdays. In Bucharest the London–New York overlap, usually the busiest and most volatile part of the day, runs today from about 15:00–19:00 local time. The two LBMA Gold Price auctions in London, at 10:30 and 15:00 London time, fall at 12:30 and 17:00 in Bucharest, and major US data released at 08:30 New York time, such as payrolls and inflation, lands at 15:30 local time. The week's trading closes at 00:00 on Saturday and reopens at 01:00 on Monday, Bucharest time; over the weekend the price on this page is the last close. The National Bank of Romania publishes a daily gold (XAU) reference rate in lei, but shops set their own prices from the international price. Our gold market hours tool shows the sessions in any time zone.

Bucharest compared with Budapest

Shoppers often ask how Budapest stacks up. On the converted spot price neither city is cheaper: Budapest quotes about 42,036 HUF per gram of 24k, which is the same $129.98 per gram as Bucharest's 619.84 RON. What differs is what each market adds. In Bucharest that is 21% standard VAT on jewellery (investment gold is VAT-exempt) and the seller's margin; in Budapest it is 27% standard VAT on jewellery (investment gold is VAT-exempt) and the dealer's margin. Buying abroad also means paying an exchange margin and checking the customs allowance at home.

How this RON gold price is calculated

Three numbers decide everything on this page. First, the international gold price in US dollars per troy ounce: $4,042.7 at the last update. Second, the exchange rate: 1 USD = 4.7689 RON. Third, the weight: one troy ounce is 31.1035 grams, and one tola is 11.6638 grams.

1. Price per gram in USD = $4,042.7 ÷ 31.1035 = $129.98.
2. Price per gram in RON = $129.98 × 4.7689 = 619.84 RON (24k, pure gold).
3. Price per 10 grams = 619.84 × 10 = 6,198.38 RON.
4. For a lower purity, multiply by the fineness: 22k = 0.9167, 21k = 0.875, 18k = 0.75.

The gold price is the spot price of gold (XAUUSD) from a public real-time feed, refreshed every few seconds while the page is open; the 7-day table and the 30-session chart use COMEX gold futures closes, which usually sit a few dollars above spot. The exchange rate is a mid-market rate; the rate your bank or money changer gives you will be slightly different. If you want to do the maths yourself, our guide to converting the gold price per gram, tola and kilo walks through every step with worked examples.

What this price does not include

The figures above are the international spot price converted into local currency. They are the starting point for every retail price in Bucharest, but they are not the price you will pay or receive at a shop. The shop price adds some or all of these on top:

• Import duty or customs charges, where gold or jewellery is imported.
• Sales tax or VAT, where the country charges one. Many countries tax jewellery but not investment bars; the sections above say what applies here.
• Dealer premium: the margin a bullion dealer or bank adds to the spot price for bars and coins, usually larger on small pieces.
• Making charges (labour) on jewellery, often a percentage of the gold value or a fixed amount per gram.
• Local supply and demand, which can push the physical price to a premium or a discount against the international price for weeks at a time.

When you sell, the buyer usually quotes below the spot-based number and deducts for purity testing, wear and sometimes stones. The gap between the buying and the selling price is the real cost of owning physical gold, and it varies a lot between shops, so it is worth asking several.

Frequently asked questions