Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Bucharest is 5.5% more expensive than Zambia without rent, and 49.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Bucharest is 20.7% more expensive than Zambia without rent, and 16.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$6.84 ZMW 136

111.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$30.13 ZMW 597

91.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.20 ZMW 103

44.23%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

13.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

215.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

375.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

192.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

62.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

-12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

-27.05%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

98.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$10.44 ZMW 207

-17.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$6.54 ZMW 130

3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$6.13 ZMW 122

91.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

-62.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

-27.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

-56.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

57.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

-70.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

-57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

-26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

126.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$10.13 ZMW 201

-37.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

-10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

-23.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

-17.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$50.2 ZMW 995

-57.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

-76.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

-63.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$8.94 ZMW 177

-30.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

34.25%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

352.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

-32.16%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$197 RON 931

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

119.55%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.34 RON 39.44

$10.95 ZMW 217

-23.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

-84.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$50.3 ZMW 998

-0.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$16.39 ZMW 325

52.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$6.80 ZMW 135

24.41%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$639 RON 3,023

$142 ZMW 2,821

349.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

-14.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$24.56 ZMW 487

268.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$14.64 ZMW 290

159.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

34.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$453 ZMW 8,980

48.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$174 ZMW 3,443

158.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

2.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$720 ZMW 14.3K

1.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

-5.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

-65.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$428 ZMW 8,485

209.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

26.25

-74.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Zambia

$174 19.2% 61.3% $275

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Zambia

$123 13.7% 45.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Zambia

$240 26.5% 8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Zambia

$160 17.7% 25.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Zambia

$78 8.7% 42.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 4.3% $2.9

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Zambia

$65 7.2% 132% $37

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Zambia 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Zambia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bucharest vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Jimbaran, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania