For many parents in Bucharest, extracurricular activities are no longer a luxury, but almost an unwritten rule. Kids take piano lessons, go swimming, practice ballroom dance or robotics, and the social pressure of “keeping up with everyone else” pushes families to sign them up. The problem is that this growing variety of options comes with increasingly high prices, putting serious pressure on household budgets. From private music schools to local sports clubs, monthly fees can easily rival a mortgage payment.

In music, individual lessons are the most expensive: a standard package of 4 private piano or guitar lessons costs between 520 and 600 lei (≈105–120 EUR). If parents want two lessons per week, the cost rises to around 1,000 lei (≈200 EUR). A single lesson purchased separately ranges between 120 and 150 lei.

For dance, prices are slightly more accessible but still significant: 50–70 lei per session, meaning around 400–500 lei per month for two weekly classes. Premium courses (such as classical ballet with foreign instructors) can go above 600 lei per month.

When it comes to sports like football, basketball or karate, fees range from 200–300 lei for eight sessions per month at neighborhood clubs, while in larger, more prestigious clubs the same package can reach 450–500 lei. Swimming packages cost 250–300 lei for four sessions per month, and around 500 lei for eight.

Courses in visual arts, acting, or robotics vary even more. Acting classes usually cost 100–150 lei per session, with group subscriptions at 400–500 lei per month. Robotics or coding programs are among the priciest: a set of four sessions can cost between 500 and 800 lei, depending on the level and the required equipment.

On top of that, parents face hidden costs: ballet shoes (150–300 lei), musical instruments (from 500 lei upwards), sports gear, and extra fees for competitions or performances (50–150 lei).

For a family with one child attending two regular activities, the monthly total easily exceeds 1,000 lei (≈200 EUR). For families with two children, costs quickly become a serious challenge. “For us, just piano is 500 lei per month. We had to give up swimming because we couldn’t keep up with both,” says a mother from District 2.

Extracurricular activities in Bucharest have become a mirror of social inequalities more than of children’s talents. Parents want to offer their kids as many opportunities as possible, but for many the final decision depends less on passion and more on what the family budget can handle.