Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Zimbabwe

Name: Zimbabwe
Address: ZW

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $864 in Zimbabwe, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
Learn more

Zimbabwe Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $864 in Zimbabwe.

China $791
Zimbabwe $864

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,423 in Zimbabwe.

China $1,251
Zimbabwe $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $1,981 in Zimbabwe.

China $1,711
Zimbabwe $1,981

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $579–$1,065 in Zimbabwe. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China costs about 8% less than in Zimbabwe on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Zimbabwe 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.76

$6.28 ZWL 167

-52.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

-45.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.51

$5.55 ZWL 147

-6.31%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.68

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

15.12%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

-35.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.16

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

-26.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.11

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

15.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.93

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.12

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

-39.47%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

-14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.8

$9.84 ZWL 261

35.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.22

$4.97 ZWL 132

-32.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.3

$5.60 ZWL 149

102.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.09

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

-33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.67

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

-24.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.86

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

-24.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.45

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

-6.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

-56.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

-40.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

-43.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.08

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

84.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.5

$6.92 ZWL 184

75.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

-33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.18

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

-70.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

-54.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.87

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

-48.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

-81.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.11

$5.04 ZWL 134

40.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.35

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

-29.21%

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

$19.4K ¥129.1K

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

-21.62%

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

$17.5K ¥116.4K

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

-36.11%

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

$54.6 ¥362

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

6.48%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$18.70 ZWL 497

-53.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

-84.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

-3.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.1

$20.29 ZWL 539

-28.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.00

$10.07 ZWL 267

-32.67%

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

$517 ¥3,429

$287 ZWL 7,613

80.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.5K

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

158.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$19.37 ZWL 515

140.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$17.62 ZWL 468

102.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥511

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

91.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

87.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,560

$299 ZWL 7,942

29.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,557

$241 ZWL 6,409

-2.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,454

$736 ZWL 19.6K

11.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,007

$557 ZWL 14.8K

-18.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$924 ZWL 24.6K

408.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.7K

$397 ZWL 10.6K

496.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,255

$369 ZWL 9,804

196.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.77

-74.87%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9% 2.8% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3% 49.8% $54

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2% 29.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2% 88.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2% 14.6% $7.9

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5% 151% $34

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $240 in Zimbabwe. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $399 in Harare.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $363 in Zimbabwe. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 24% higher in China.

Dining out costs 95% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 100% more expensive in Zimbabwe.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

15,178,979

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.65 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Zimbabwe 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Zimbabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $864 in Zimbabwe, China comes out about 8% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.