Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gweru and Harare

For one person, living is cheaper in Gweru: $602 a month against $1,076 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Gweru
Learn more

Gweru Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
Learn more

Harare Living Index

Jump to prices

Gweru

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$602

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gweru and in Harare

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

A single person spends $602 per month in Gweru vs $1,076 in Harare, rent included.

Gweru $602
Harare $1,076

A couple spends around $1,080 per month in Gweru vs $1,802 in Harare, rent included.

Gweru $1,080
Harare $1,802

A family of three spends $1,557 per month in Gweru vs $2,528 in Harare, rent included.

Gweru $1,557
Harare $2,528

Gweru is about 44% cheaper than Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gweru and Harare are more affordable than the global median – Gweru 55% lower, Harare 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ZWL 101

$12.26 ZWL 326

-69.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.06 ZWL 1,197

$45.28 ZWL 1,203

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 ZWL 150

$5.58 ZWL 148

1.43%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ZWL 79.0

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

-2.94%

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

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

$0.83 ZWL 22.01

-42.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 ZWL 11.00

$0.46 ZWL 12.17

-10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

$1.24 ZWL 32.93

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

$1.95 ZWL 51.9

-14.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ZWL 40.60

$1.52 ZWL 40.28

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.79

$1.61 ZWL 42.88

Eggs

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

-1.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 ZWL 306

$11.43 ZWL 303

0.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.90 ZWL 104

$5.44 ZWL 145

-28.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 ZWL 142

$6.62 ZWL 176

-19.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$3.19 ZWL 84.8

-37.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 43.07

$1.64 ZWL 43.55

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ZWL 26.22

$1.52 ZWL 40.33

-34.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.35

$1.75 ZWL 46.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ZWL 26.84

$1.52 ZWL 40.42

-33.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ZWL 35.08

$1.29 ZWL 34.26

2.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ZWL 24.53

$1.01 ZWL 26.78

-8.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.74 ZWL 46.16

$1.81 ZWL 47.96

-3.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 ZWL 217

$8.38 ZWL 223

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

$1.34 ZWL 35.69

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$1.86 ZWL 49.39

-4.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ZWL 12.62

$1.02 ZWL 27.08

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,578

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ZWL 104

$3.96 ZWL 105

-0.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ZWL 23.07

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

-55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$5.07 ZWL 135

0.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 ZWL 42.31

$1.84 ZWL 48.94

-13.59%

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

$21.9K ZWL 581.5K

$22.4K ZWL 594.5K

-2.19%

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

$27.9K ZWL 740.2K

$27.6K ZWL 732.2K

1.09%

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

$29.63 ZWL 787

$50.6 ZWL 1,344

-41.45%

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

$17.19 ZWL 457

$21.52 ZWL 572

-20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 ZWL 1,933

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

1.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 ZWL 1,053

$45.19 ZWL 1,200

-12.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$22.75 ZWL 604

-91.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 ZWL 268

$9.96 ZWL 265

1.41%

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

$247 ZWL 6,571

$419 ZWL 11.1K

-40.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 ZWL 151.7K

$16.4K ZWL 435.7K

-65.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.74 ZWL 577

$21.40 ZWL 568

1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.03 ZWL 532

$20.25 ZWL 538

-1.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.69 ZWL 975

$37.24 ZWL 989

-1.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.87 ZWL 1,085

$39.98 ZWL 1,062

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ZWL 3,926

$393 ZWL 10.4K

-62.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.5 ZWL 1,846

$355 ZWL 9,422

-80.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$997 ZWL 26.5K

-44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ZWL 8,098

$867 ZWL 23.0K

-64.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$939 ZWL 24.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$394 ZWL 10.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ZWL 6,532

$405 ZWL 10.8K

-39.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

-48.87%

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

Last update for Gweru: November 1, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gweru

$193 32%

Harare

$215 20% 11.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gweru

$120 19.9%

Harare

$144 13.4% 20.2% $24

Eating Out

Gweru

$96 16%

Harare

$167 15.5% 73.1% $70

Accommodation & Living

Gweru

$70 11.5%

Harare

$355 33% 410% $285

Sport & Entertainment

Gweru

$60 9.9%

Harare

$65 6.1% 8.8% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Gweru

$54 8.9%

Harare

$53 5% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Gweru

$10 * 1.7%

Harare

$77 7.2% 659% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $148 in Gweru versus $393 in Harare. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Harare, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Gweru versus $45 in Harare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $215 – making Gweru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Gweru

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

Same time as Gweru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,260

1,606,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gweru Harare 220 km

From you

Gweru
Harare

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

Gweru vs Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $602 in Gweru, $1,076 in Harare – Gweru comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $903 per month in Gweru and $1,614 in Harare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gweru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $148 there versus $393 in Harare.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Gweru and $419 in Harare. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $602 in Gweru and $1,076 in Harare. That makes Gweru about 44% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $602 in Gweru and $1,076 in Harare, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gweru – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Gweru. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Harare makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.