Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mutare and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$789

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Mutare versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Mutare $789
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,220 in Mutare versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Mutare $1,220
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,651 in Mutare versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Mutare $1,651
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Mutare costs roughly 41% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mutare 42% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 ZWL 270

$14.49 RON 68.6

-29.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.07 ZWL 1,199

$58.1 RON 275

-22.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 ZWL 118

$7.48 RON 35.40

-40.91%

Cappuccino

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

$3.44 RON 16.29

-62.79%

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

$0.73 ZWL 19.54

$2.37 RON 11.22

-69.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.11

$2.30 RON 10.88

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZWL 32.33

$3.70 RON 17.51

-67.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ZWL 47.47

$4.16 RON 19.69

-57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ZWL 32.42

$1.67 RON 7.90

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

$1.37 RON 6.50

-28.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ZWL 35.28

$1.72 RON 8.14

-22.67%

Eggs

$1.87 ZWL 49.72

$3.64 RON 17.22

-48.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

$9.08 RON 42.98

-67.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ZWL 107

$6.84 RON 32.35

-40.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.01 ZWL 133

$12.00 RON 56.8

-58.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

$1.23 RON 5.80

65.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.15

$1.63 RON 7.73

4.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$1.57 RON 7.45

30.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 ZWL 26.18

$2.54 RON 12.01

-61.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.52

$0.79 RON 3.75

121.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ZWL 26.33

$0.77 RON 3.66

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 ZWL 12.83

$0.87 RON 4.13

-44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.41

$0.99 RON 4.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

$6.31 RON 29.86

-81.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 ZWL 162

$6.20 RON 29.34

-1.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

$1.19 RON 5.63

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ZWL 45.96

$1.57 RON 7.45

10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.48

$0.86 RON 4.08

-10.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.46 ZWL 704

$21.10 RON 99.8

25.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

$0.64 RON 3.05

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

$0.60 RON 2.86

230.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 ZWL 131

$6.43 RON 30.43

-23.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 ZWL 49.42

$1.96 RON 9.25

-5.10%

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

$21.6K ZWL 575.1K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-25.47%

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

$23.6K ZWL 629.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-11.23%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,349

$196 RON 927

-74.11%

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

$14.72 ZWL 392

$8.04 RON 38.04

83.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

$9.35 RON 44.21

535.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.95 ZWL 1,063

$50.2 RON 238

-20.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$25.33 RON 120

-80.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 ZWL 263

$8.15 RON 38.55

21.35%

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

$150 ZWL 4,002

$628 RON 2,971

-76.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,553 ZWL 227.6K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-39.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.06 ZWL 268

$89.6 RON 424

-88.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.48 ZWL 252

$38.32 RON 181

-75.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.80 ZWL 660

$79.3 RON 375

-68.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.27 ZWL 539

$90.4 RON 428

-77.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 ZWL 9,462

$678 RON 3,209

-47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ZWL 6,742

$448 RON 2,121

-43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ZWL 19.9K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-30.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 ZWL 10.5K

$725 RON 3,430

-45.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$246 ZWL 6,539

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-93.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 ZWL 6,566

$1,329 RON 6,290

-81.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

6.75

102.81%

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

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mutare

$253 32.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 76.9% $195

Groceries & Markets

Mutare

$155 19.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 45.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mutare

$125 15.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 70.9% $88

Eating Out

Mutare

$124 15.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 81.3% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Mutare

$60 7.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 11.4% $6.8

Getting Around

Mutare

$42 5.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 33.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mutare

$29 3.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 361% $105

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $356 in Mutare and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 439% 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 Mutare vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $225 per month, with Mutare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Mutare

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h ahead of Mutare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,243

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mutare Bucharest 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mutare
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

Mutare vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mutare and Bucharest differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($789 vs $1,340 including rent). Mutare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 439% 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: $356 in Mutare versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $789 per month in Mutare versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mutare runs roughly 25% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $789 in Mutare versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mutare but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Mutare 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 Mutare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.