Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Zimbabwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $864 in Zimbabwe, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Egypt
Zimbabwe
🇪🇬 Egypt
$449
/mo nomad
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$864
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Egypt versus $864 in Zimbabwe.

  • Egypt $449
  • Zimbabwe $864

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Egypt versus $1,423 in Zimbabwe.

  • Egypt $733
  • Zimbabwe $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,017 in Egypt versus $1,981 in Zimbabwe.

  • Egypt $1,017
  • Zimbabwe $1,981

Egypt ($295–$677) and Zimbabwe ($579–$1,065) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Egypt costs about 48% less than in Zimbabwe on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 67% lower, Zimbabwe 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.46 E£192
$6.28 ZWL 167
-44.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.81 E£987
$40.61 ZWL 1,079
-56.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.51 E£250
$5.55 ZWL 147
-18.74%
Cappuccino
$1.38 E£76.7
$2.58 ZWL 68.6
-46.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 E£18.58
$0.74 ZWL 19.55
-54.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.14 E£7.59
$0.48 ZWL 12.74
-70.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.37 E£75.7
$1.47 ZWL 39.04
-6.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 E£150
$1.98 ZWL 52.5
36.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 E£43.69
$1.49 ZWL 39.69
-46.98%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 E£37.70
$1.02 ZWL 27.22
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.60 E£33.01
$1.52 ZWL 40.46
-60.53%
Eggs
$1.18 E£65.2
$1.89 ZWL 50.3
-37.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.18 E£176
$9.84 ZWL 261
-67.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 E£217
$4.97 ZWL 132
-21.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.74 E£429
$5.60 ZWL 149
38.21%
Apples (1kg)
$1.45 E£80.3
$2.72 ZWL 72.3
-46.69%
Banana (1kg)
$0.67 E£36.86
$1.73 ZWL 45.89
-61.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.49 E£26.99
$1.97 ZWL 52.4
-75.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.35 E£19.65
$1.36 ZWL 36.02
-74.26%
Potato (1kg)
$0.36 E£20.02
$1.62 ZWL 42.97
-77.78%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 E£19.54
$1.56 ZWL 41.56
-77.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.28 E£15.58
$1.15 ZWL 30.54
-75.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.19 E£10.30
$0.99 ZWL 26.30
-80.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.83 E£101
$2.05 ZWL 54.4
-10.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.19 E£343
$6.92 ZWL 184
-10.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 E£71.8
$1.24 ZWL 32.88
4.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 E£104
$1.92 ZWL 51.0
-2.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 E£15.53
$0.98 ZWL 26.06
-71.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.24 E£401
$39.26 ZWL 1,043
-81.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.37 E£20.63
$2.92 ZWL 77.7
-87.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.26 E£14.37
$1.97 ZWL 52.3
-86.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.82 E£101
$5.04 ZWL 134
-63.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.40 E£22.06
$1.78 ZWL 47.24
-77.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K E£1.7M
$24.8K ZWL 659.1K
20.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K E£1.3M
$27.5K ZWL 729.4K
-12.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$20.40 E£1,130
$51.2 ZWL 1,361
-60.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.78 E£375
$18.70 ZWL 497
-63.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.41 E£687
$70.0 ZWL 1,860
-82.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.00 E£942
$42.11 ZWL 1,119
-59.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.36 E£352
$20.29 ZWL 539
-68.65%
Cinema Ticket
$2.93 E£163
$10.07 ZWL 267
-70.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.2 E£5,218
$287 ZWL 7,613
-67.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,362 E£130.8K
$7,672 ZWL 203.8K
-69.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.33 E£1,403
$19.37 ZWL 515
30.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.23 E£2,284
$17.62 ZWL 468
134.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 E£5,815
$40.22 ZWL 1,069
160.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.95 E£2,657
$42.91 ZWL 1,140
11.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$140 E£7,747
$299 ZWL 7,942
-53.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$88.9 E£4,924
$241 ZWL 6,409
-63.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$282 E£15.6K
$736 ZWL 19.6K
-61.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 E£9,920
$557 ZWL 14.8K
-67.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$683 E£37.8K
$924 ZWL 24.6K
-26.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$432 E£23.9K
$397 ZWL 10.6K
8.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Egypt
Zimbabwe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$141 E£7,820
$369 ZWL 9,804
-61.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.11
13.77
24.26%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Egypt
$117
Zimbabwe
$197 68.6% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Egypt
$99
Zimbabwe
$54 45.3% $45
Accommodation & Living
Egypt
$89
Zimbabwe
$241 171% $152
Eating Out
Egypt
$72
Zimbabwe
$114 58.4% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Egypt
$40
Zimbabwe
$140 254% $100
Sport & Entertainment
Egypt
$23
Zimbabwe
$62 172% $39
Getting Around
Egypt
$10
Zimbabwe
$56 457% $46

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $136 in Egypt, $240 in Zimbabwe. Capital cities: $203 in Cairo vs $399 in Harare.

National salary averages: $129 in Egypt, $363 in Zimbabwe. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in Zimbabwe.

Dining out costs 169% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 414% more expensive in Zimbabwe.

Salaries are about 2.8 times higher in Zimbabwe, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Zimbabwe.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
🕒 Local time
15:50 3:50 PM
15:50 3:50 PM
Same time as Egypt
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
114,535,772
15,178,979
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.82 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Egypt Zimbabwe 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Egypt
  • 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
Egypt vs Zimbabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Egypt and Zimbabwe?
At $449 per month in Egypt and $864 in Zimbabwe, Egypt comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Egypt: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $240 in Zimbabwe and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget in Egypt or in Zimbabwe?
In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Zimbabwe it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Egypt or to Zimbabwe?
It depends on what you’re after: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

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