Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Harare Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Harare

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $991 in Harare.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,659 in Harare.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,327 in Harare.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 139% more expensive than Harare, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Harare is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$10.14 ZWL 273

73.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$50.2 ZWL 1,349

36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$7.03 ZWL 189

100.00%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.89 ZWL 77.8

-3.81%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$0.67 ZWL 17.98

317.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.47 ZWL 12.69

338.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$1.47 ZWL 39.59

203.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$2.06 ZWL 55.3

123.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.63 ZWL 43.74

-23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.03 ZWL 27.58

97.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.89 ZWL 50.8

1.59%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$2.16 ZWL 58.1

53.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$10.78 ZWL 290

70.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$6.24 ZWL 168

52.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$6.24 ZWL 168

207.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.97 ZWL 80.0

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.64 ZWL 44.22

49.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$2.28 ZWL 61.4

-7.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$1.66 ZWL 44.62

71.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.51 ZWL 40.73

35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.99 ZWL 53.4

-7.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$0.98 ZWL 26.26

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.97 ZWL 26.05

-13.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$1.12 ZWL 30.03

537.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.18 ZWL 247

-14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.18 ZWL 31.84

16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.71 ZWL 45.91

35.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$0.97 ZWL 26.19

207.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$43.15 ZWL 1,160

-32.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$4.89 ZWL 131

-5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.05 ZWL 55.2

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$4.95 ZWL 133

489.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.57 ZWL 42.20

17.20%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$19.8K ZWL 531.3K

97.44%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$23.9K ZWL 641.7K

37.02%

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

$188 €162

$58.6 ZWL 1,575

220.62%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$17.79 ZWL 478

28.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$93.2 ZWL 2,505

-60.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$53.5 ZWL 1,439

7.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$14.20 ZWL 382

45.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$9.93 ZWL 267

12.69%

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

$721 €621

$283 ZWL 7,611

154.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$7,356 ZWL 197.8K

104.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$19.00 ZWL 511

353.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$21.04 ZWL 566

76.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$34.77 ZWL 935

193.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$40.05 ZWL 1,077

189.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$403 ZWL 10.8K

280.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$280 ZWL 7,538

335.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$941 ZWL 25.3K

186.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$688 ZWL 18.5K

192.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$899 ZWL 24.2K

703.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$390 ZWL 10.5K

1230.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$393 ZWL 10.6K

499.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

13.31

-74.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Harare: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $403 in Harare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 500% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $50.0 in Harare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $219 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

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

Barcelona vs Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Harare differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $991 including rent). Harare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 500% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $403 in Harare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $283 in Harare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $991 in Harare versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Harare 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Harare are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.