Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Zimbabwe

Name: Zimbabwe
Address: ZW

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimbabwe: $850 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
Learn more

Zimbabwe Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Zimbabwe

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $850 in Zimbabwe, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Zimbabwe $850

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $1,387 in Zimbabwe, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Zimbabwe $1,387

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $1,923 in Zimbabwe, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Zimbabwe $1,923

The cost of living in Australia is about 199% higher than in Zimbabwe on average.

Australia sits 87% above the global median, while Zimbabwe is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$6.26 ZWL 167

177.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$39.61 ZWL 1,054

113.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$5.44 ZWL 145

101.84%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$2.56 ZWL 68.2

50.00%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$0.73 ZWL 19.49

295.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$0.45 ZWL 11.92

408.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$1.49 ZWL 39.52

422.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$1.96 ZWL 52.3

329.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$1.51 ZWL 40.11

15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.02 ZWL 27.16

172.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.53 ZWL 40.85

50.98%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$1.91 ZWL 50.8

156.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$9.99 ZWL 266

-0.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$4.86 ZWL 129

86.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$5.76 ZWL 153

159.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.59 ZWL 69.0

40.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.63 ZWL 43.43

85.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.90 ZWL 50.5

70.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$1.43 ZWL 38.00

227.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$1.62 ZWL 43.12

75.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$1.56 ZWL 41.55

48.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.16 ZWL 30.82

109.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.99 ZWL 26.21

67.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

1872.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$7.04 ZWL 187

96.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.30 ZWL 34.68

274.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$1.91 ZWL 50.8

176.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.98 ZWL 26.03

176.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$37.74 ZWL 1,004

149.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

22.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

-17.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$5.05 ZWL 134

692.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.71 ZWL 45.40

-22.22%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$25.3K ZWL 673.0K

15.19%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$27.3K ZWL 725.6K

-5.68%

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

$205 A$296

$51.6 ZWL 1,372

298.31%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$18.97 ZWL 505

48.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$70.4 ZWL 1,873

-19.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$40.80 ZWL 1,086

35.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$19.96 ZWL 531

-2.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$9.81 ZWL 261

53.52%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$314 ZWL 8,368

566.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$7,886 ZWL 209.9K

128.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$18.93 ZWL 504

312.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$17.57 ZWL 468

214.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$39.37 ZWL 1,048

184.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$44.36 ZWL 1,180

174.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$290 ZWL 7,710

438.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$230 ZWL 6,125

427.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$632 ZWL 16.8K

285.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$513 ZWL 13.6K

275.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$929 ZWL 24.7K

779.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$387 ZWL 10.3K

1465.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$361 ZWL 9,605

1018.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

13.77

-56.86%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Zimbabwe

$230 27.1% 81.1% $984

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Zimbabwe

$197 23.2% 47.1% $175

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Zimbabwe

$113 13.3% 61.5% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Zimbabwe

$141 16.6% 51.5% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Zimbabwe

$54 6.4% 67.2% $111

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Zimbabwe

$54 6.4% 53.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Zimbabwe

$60 7.1% 29.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $100 in Zimbabwe. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $384 in Harare.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $360 in Zimbabwe. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1264% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 173% more in Australia.

Public transport is 733% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 970% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

18:56 6:56 PM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

15,178,979

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Zimbabwe 11,220 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Zimbabwe

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

Australia vs Zimbabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zimbabwe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 199% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $100 in Zimbabwe.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zimbabwe, adding to the overall 199% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zimbabwe, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Zimbabwe is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.