Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $889 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
Learn more

Lusaka Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$889

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lusaka 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 Lusaka and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Lusaka versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Lusaka $889
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,510 in Lusaka versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Lusaka $1,510
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,131 in Lusaka versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Lusaka $2,131
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Lusaka costs roughly 34% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lusaka is 34% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.74 ZMW 114

$14.46 RON 68.4

-60.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.85 ZMW 612

$57.7 RON 273

-46.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ZMW 98.4

$7.50 RON 35.46

-33.87%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ZMW 57.4

$3.43 RON 16.20

-15.45%

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

$0.74 ZMW 14.65

$2.46 RON 11.63

-69.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZMW 9.16

$2.33 RON 11.01

-80.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.85

$3.80 RON 17.97

-65.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 44.98

$4.10 RON 19.41

-44.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 34.83

$1.65 RON 7.79

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ZMW 23.41

$1.35 RON 6.39

-12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ZMW 42.28

$1.78 RON 8.42

19.66%

Eggs

$1.92 ZMW 38.15

$3.66 RON 17.33

-47.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ZMW 205

$8.57 RON 40.54

20.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.25 ZMW 124

$6.80 RON 32.17

-8.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 131

$11.72 RON 55.4

-43.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 69.0

$1.29 RON 6.11

169.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 ZMW 47.66

$1.56 RON 7.37

53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 ZMW 71.1

$1.54 RON 7.28

133.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ZMW 31.25

$2.48 RON 11.75

-36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 ZMW 50.1

$0.83 RON 3.92

204.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ZMW 35.93

$0.80 RON 3.77

126.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.23

$0.84 RON 3.98

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ZMW 15.68

$0.93 RON 4.39

-15.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ZMW 58.7

$6.44 RON 30.45

-54.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 ZMW 203

$6.32 RON 29.91

62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ZMW 28.53

$1.26 RON 5.94

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ZMW 46.63

$1.60 RON 7.59

46.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.51

$0.81 RON 3.85

20.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.75 ZMW 987

$21.13 RON 99.9

135.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 49.71

$0.60 RON 2.86

318.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ZMW 30.84

$0.61 RON 2.91

155.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ZMW 99.6

$6.17 RON 29.19

-18.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ZMW 30.69

$1.96 RON 9.27

-20.92%

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

$7,507 ZMW 148.9K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-73.33%

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

$27.0K ZMW 536.2K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

2.85%

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

$80.5 ZMW 1,595

$197 RON 931

-59.13%

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

$10.41 ZMW 207

$8.34 RON 39.44

24.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 ZMW 1,101

$9.19 RON 43.47

504.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 ZMW 1,100

$49.87 RON 236

11.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.10 ZMW 300

$24.99 RON 118

-39.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 ZMW 119

$8.46 RON 40.01

-29.08%

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

$139 ZMW 2,748

$639 RON 3,023

-78.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ZMW 331.0K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

15.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.34 ZMW 463

$90.6 RON 429

-74.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.35 ZMW 304

$38.05 RON 180

-59.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.95 ZMW 911

$79.7 RON 377

-42.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 ZMW 1,433

$93.2 RON 441

-22.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ZMW 7,744

$673 RON 3,184

-42.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ZMW 3,575

$449 RON 2,123

-59.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 ZMW 21.9K

$1,098 RON 5,195

0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 ZMW 11.8K

$729 RON 3,448

-18.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,906 ZMW 37.8K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-49.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,999 ZMW 99.1K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

128.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$317 ZMW 6,282

$1,323 RON 6,259

-76.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

330.27%

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

Last update for Lusaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusaka

$239 27.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 7.4% $18

Accommodation & Living

Lusaka

$180 20.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 149% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusaka

$146 16.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 46.4% $68

Eating Out

Lusaka

$111 12.7%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 103% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Lusaka

$71 8%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 92.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Lusaka

$67 7.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 1% $0.7

Getting Around

Lusaka

$64 7.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 56.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $391 in Lusaka and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 318% 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: $31.00 in Lusaka vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $239 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h ahead of Lusaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,742,979 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

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).

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).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lusaka Bucharest 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusaka
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

Lusaka vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lusaka and Bucharest differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($889 vs $1,351 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 318% 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: $391 in Lusaka versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $889 per month in Lusaka versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 135% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $889 in Lusaka versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka 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 Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.