Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,065 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,065

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,065 in Harare versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Harare $1,065
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Harare versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Harare $1,788
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,512 in Harare versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Harare $2,512
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Harare costs roughly 25% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harare is 22% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 ZWL 263

$12.58 RON 60.5

-21.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 ZWL 1,199

$54.8 RON 264

-17.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 ZWL 152

$9.59 RON 46.13

-40.25%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

$3.78 RON 18.15

-20.11%

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

$0.93 ZWL 24.83

$2.30 RON 11.08

-59.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ZWL 12.38

$2.22 RON 10.68

-78.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ZWL 32.27

$3.32 RON 15.95

-63.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 53.9

$4.20 RON 20.18

-51.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ZWL 41.11

$1.60 RON 7.71

-3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.88

$1.44 RON 6.93

-29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.14

$1.69 RON 8.14

0.59%

Eggs

$1.88 ZWL 49.94

$3.76 RON 18.05

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 ZWL 299

$9.07 RON 43.59

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ZWL 147

$7.14 RON 34.31

-22.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 ZWL 180

$11.46 RON 55.1

-40.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

$1.39 RON 6.66

117.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ZWL 43.96

$1.58 RON 7.60

4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$1.88 RON 9.05

5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.25

$2.37 RON 11.38

-36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.19

$0.92 RON 4.43

84.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.46

$0.90 RON 4.32

94.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.52

$0.90 RON 4.35

35.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.08

$1.01 RON 4.84

-6.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 ZWL 53.5

$6.42 RON 30.87

-68.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 ZWL 217

$7.41 RON 35.63

10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZWL 36.52

$1.25 RON 5.99

9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ZWL 50.5

$1.73 RON 8.32

9.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

$0.76 RON 3.65

28.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 ZWL 1,597

$44.23 RON 213

35.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 ZWL 108

$0.84 RON 4.02

383.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$0.96 RON 4.63

103.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$8.27 RON 39.75

-38.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 ZWL 47.14

$1.94 RON 9.32

-8.76%

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

$22.2K ZWL 590.9K

$28.3K RON 136.2K

-21.52%

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

$27.4K ZWL 729.4K

$24.7K RON 118.9K

10.93%

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

$50.4 ZWL 1,340

$151 RON 725

-66.58%

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

$21.76 ZWL 578

$8.44 RON 40.56

157.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 ZWL 1,802

$9.16 RON 44.05

639.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 ZWL 1,275

$47.36 RON 228

1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ZWL 604

$22.01 RON 106

3.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ZWL 269

$9.35 RON 44.97

8.24%

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

$412 ZWL 10.9K

$577 RON 2,774

-28.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,493 ZWL 225.7K

$9,450 RON 45.4K

-10.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.42 ZWL 622

$87.1 RON 419

-73.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.83 ZWL 554

$44.26 RON 213

-52.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.19 ZWL 1,015

$98.8 RON 475

-61.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.76 ZWL 1,083

$107 RON 513

-61.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 ZWL 10.6K

$668 RON 3,213

-40.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ZWL 9,609

$536 RON 2,575

-32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 ZWL 26.6K

$1,227 RON 5,897

-18.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 ZWL 23.6K

$807 RON 3,882

9.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 ZWL 24.4K

$4,568 RON 22.0K

-79.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$389 ZWL 10.3K

$3,342 RON 16.1K

-88.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 ZWL 11.1K

$1,241 RON 5,964

-66.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

6.65

105.86%

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

Last update for Harare: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$362 34%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 48.2% $174

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$214 20.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 7.5% $16

Eating Out

Harare

$148 13.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 46.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$140 13.1%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 20.4% $28

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.3%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 32% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 3.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$55 5.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 174% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $399 in Harare and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Harare vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $230 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.58 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.58 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 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 Cluj-Napoca 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Harare. 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: $399 in Harare versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cluj-Napoca runs roughly 26% less than in Harare. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $412 in Harare versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Harare wins on affordability, Cluj-Napoca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.