Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,025 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,025

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Harare and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,025 in Harare versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Harare $1,025
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in Harare versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Harare $1,682
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,339 in Harare versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Harare $2,339
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Harare costs roughly 24% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harare is 24% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ZWL 270

$14.46 RON 68.9

-30.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.29 ZWL 1,210

$57.7 RON 275

-21.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ZWL 150

$7.50 RON 35.72

-25.33%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ZWL 80.4

$3.43 RON 16.32

-12.24%

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

$0.97 ZWL 26.04

$2.46 RON 11.72

-60.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 12.07

$2.33 RON 11.09

-80.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZWL 32.56

$3.80 RON 18.10

-67.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 52.2

$4.10 RON 19.56

-52.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ZWL 39.29

$1.65 RON 7.85

-10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.29

$1.35 RON 6.44

-24.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ZWL 45.80

$1.78 RON 8.48

-3.93%

Eggs

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

$3.66 RON 17.46

-45.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 ZWL 304

$8.57 RON 40.84

33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ZWL 148

$6.80 RON 32.41

-18.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 ZWL 171

$11.72 RON 55.8

-45.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 ZWL 82.1

$1.29 RON 6.16

137.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.29

$1.56 RON 7.43

8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ZWL 55.4

$1.54 RON 7.34

35.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.45

$2.48 RON 11.84

-39.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.67

$0.83 RON 3.95

110.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ZWL 47.51

$0.80 RON 3.80

122.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.72

$0.84 RON 4.01

45.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.02

$0.93 RON 4.42

1.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$6.44 RON 30.68

-69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ZWL 224

$6.32 RON 30.13

32.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.81

$1.26 RON 5.99

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

$1.60 RON 7.65

23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZWL 27.10

$0.81 RON 3.88

24.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ZWL 1,578

$21.13 RON 101

179.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ZWL 110

$0.60 RON 2.88

586.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 ZWL 54.8

$0.61 RON 2.93

236.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 ZWL 135

$6.17 RON 29.41

-17.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 49.04

$1.96 RON 9.34

-6.12%

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

$21.6K ZWL 576.3K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

-23.35%

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

$27.6K ZWL 736.2K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

4.84%

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

$52.2 ZWL 1,394

$197 RON 938

-73.49%

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

$21.85 ZWL 583

$8.34 RON 39.74

161.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 ZWL 1,817

$9.19 RON 43.80

640.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 ZWL 1,286

$49.87 RON 238

-3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 ZWL 609

$24.99 RON 119

-8.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 ZWL 264

$8.46 RON 40.31

16.78%

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

$428 ZWL 11.4K

$639 RON 3,046

-33.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,427 ZWL 225.1K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-41.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.65 ZWL 632

$90.6 RON 432

-73.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.26 ZWL 568

$38.05 RON 181

-44.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.85 ZWL 1,038

$79.7 RON 380

-51.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.60 ZWL 1,058

$93.2 RON 444

-57.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 ZWL 10.4K

$673 RON 3,209

-42.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 ZWL 8,435

$449 RON 2,139

-29.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 ZWL 22.4K

$1,098 RON 5,234

-23.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 ZWL 20.2K

$729 RON 3,474

3.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$913 ZWL 24.4K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-75.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$388 ZWL 10.4K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-82.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 ZWL 11.3K

$1,323 RON 6,306

-68.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

6.74

103.12%

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

Last update for Harare: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$316 30.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 42.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 21%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 3.3% $7

Eating Out

Harare

$150 14.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 50.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 13.9%

Bucharest

$214 16% 50.9% $72

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 63.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 1.6% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$56 5.4%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 145% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $389 in Harare and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 214% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Harare vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $222 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.96 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Harare Bucharest 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Bucharest

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

Harare vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare and Bucharest differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,025 vs $1,351 including rent). Harare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 214% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $389 in Harare versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,025 per month in Harare versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Harare runs roughly 180% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,025 in Harare versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Harare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.