Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Bucharest

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.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Zambia is 5.2% cheaper than Bucharest without rent, and 33% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zambia is 17.2% cheaper than Bucharest without rent, and 14.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 ZMW 136

$14.46 RON 68.4

-52.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 ZMW 597

$57.7 RON 273

-47.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ZMW 103

$7.50 RON 35.46

-30.67%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

$3.43 RON 16.20

-11.66%

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

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

$2.46 RON 11.63

-68.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

$2.33 RON 11.01

-78.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

$3.80 RON 17.97

-65.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

$4.10 RON 19.41

-38.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

$1.65 RON 7.79

13.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

$1.35 RON 6.39

-8.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

$1.78 RON 8.42

37.08%

Eggs

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

$3.66 RON 17.33

-49.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ZMW 207

$8.57 RON 40.54

21.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ZMW 130

$6.80 RON 32.17

-3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.13 ZMW 122

$11.72 RON 55.4

-47.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

$1.29 RON 6.11

169.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

$1.56 RON 7.37

37.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

$1.54 RON 7.28

127.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

$2.48 RON 11.75

-36.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

$0.83 RON 3.92

238.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

$0.80 RON 3.77

137.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

$0.84 RON 3.98

36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

$0.93 RON 4.39

-23.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

$6.44 RON 30.45

-55.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 ZMW 201

$6.32 RON 29.91

60.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

$1.26 RON 5.94

11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

$1.60 RON 7.59

31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

$0.81 RON 3.85

20.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 ZMW 995

$21.13 RON 99.9

137.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

$0.60 RON 2.86

328.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

$0.61 RON 2.91

177.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ZMW 177

$6.17 RON 29.19

44.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

$1.96 RON 9.27

-25.51%

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

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-77.89%

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

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

47.41%

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

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

$197 RON 931

-54.45%

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

$10.95 ZMW 217

$8.34 RON 39.44

31.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

$9.19 RON 43.47

541.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ZMW 998

$49.87 RON 236

0.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.39 ZMW 325

$24.99 RON 118

-34.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 ZMW 135

$8.46 RON 40.01

-19.62%

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

$142 ZMW 2,821

$639 RON 3,023

-77.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

16.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.56 ZMW 487

$90.6 RON 429

-72.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.64 ZMW 290

$38.05 RON 180

-61.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

$79.7 RON 377

-25.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

$93.2 RON 441

-18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ZMW 8,980

$673 RON 3,184

-32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ZMW 3,443

$449 RON 2,123

-61.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

$1,098 RON 5,195

-2.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ZMW 14.3K

$729 RON 3,448

-1.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

5.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

193.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$428 ZMW 8,485

$1,323 RON 6,259

-67.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

6.74

289.47%

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

Last update for Zambia: 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

Zambia

$240 26.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 7.4% $18

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$174 19.2%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 159% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 34.4% $55

Eating Out

Zambia

$123 13.7%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 83% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$78 8.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 73% $57

Getting Around

Zambia

$65 7.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 56.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 4.5% $2.9

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

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

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Between locations

Zambia Bucharest 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
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

Zambia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Bucharest

RON, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Zambia

Bucharest

Zambia

Bucharest

Zambia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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