Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,018 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,018

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Harare versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Harare $1,018
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,696 in Harare versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Harare $1,696
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,375 in Harare versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Harare $2,375
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Harare costs roughly 57% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harare is 25% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 ZWL 265

$17.89 €15.92

-44.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.58 ZWL 1,213

$66.2 €58.9

-31.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 ZWL 150

$13.69 €12.18

-58.88%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

$3.06 €2.72

-2.61%

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

$0.94 ZWL 24.95

$3.07 €2.73

-69.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 11.98

$1.94 €1.73

-76.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

$3.87 €3.44

-74.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$4.61 €4.10

-57.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ZWL 40.78

$1.30 €1.16

17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.05

$2.10 €1.87

-51.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ZWL 44.16

$1.83 €1.62

-9.29%

Eggs

$1.98 ZWL 52.7

$4.62 €4.11

-57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 ZWL 303

$17.36 €15.44

-34.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ZWL 144

$9.28 €8.25

-41.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 ZWL 181

$19.83 €17.64

-65.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

$3.01 €2.68

1.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ZWL 43.25

$2.03 €1.81

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$2.65 €2.36

-22.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.50

$2.87 €2.55

-47.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 46.09

$2.16 €1.92

-19.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.94

$2.15 €1.91

-16.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.35

$1.47 €1.31

-12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ZWL 26.67

$0.88 €0.79

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$6.93 €6.16

-71.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 ZWL 222

$7.83 €6.96

6.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.62

$1.39 €1.24

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$2.63 €2.34

-25.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

$2.91 €2.59

-66.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 ZWL 1,618

$25.46 €22.64

138.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 ZWL 103

$3.00 €2.66

29.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$1.44 €1.28

42.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$33.20 €29.53

-84.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 ZWL 47.75

$1.86 €1.65

-3.76%

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

$21.9K ZWL 582.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

-32.30%

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

$27.2K ZWL 722.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

-14.34%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,348

$183 €163

-72.29%

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

$21.89 ZWL 583

$13.61 €12.11

60.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 ZWL 1,849

$32.93 €29.29

110.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.15 ZWL 1,255

$54.7 €48.65

-13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 ZWL 596

$16.52 €14.70

35.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 ZWL 271

$11.23 €9.99

-9.35%

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

$467 ZWL 12.4K

$954 €849

-51.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,608 ZWL 229.1K

$16.6K €14.8K

-48.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.43 ZWL 623

$86.0 €76.5

-72.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.48 ZWL 572

$39.11 €34.78

-45.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.24 ZWL 1,018

$104 €92.2

-63.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.39 ZWL 1,075

$119 €106

-65.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ZWL 10.2K

$1,695 €1,508

-77.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 ZWL 8,284

$1,276 €1,135

-75.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 ZWL 22.2K

$2,576 €2,291

-67.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ZWL 19.8K

$1,922 €1,710

-61.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$939 ZWL 25.0K

$7,281 €6,477

-87.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$5,010 €4,456

-92.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 ZWL 11.2K

$2,227 €1,981

-81.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

3.28

317.38%

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

Last update for Harare: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$311 30.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 310% $965

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$216 21.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 50.6% $109

Eating Out

Harare

$147 14.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 83.8% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 14%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 61.5% $87

Getting Around

Harare

$79 7.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 40% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 14.3% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$56 5.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 181% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $384 in Harare and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 431% 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: $46.00 in Harare vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $325 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harare Barcelona 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Barcelona

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

Harare vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare and Barcelona differ by about 134% in total monthly costs ($1,018 vs $2,381 including rent). Harare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 431% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $384 in Harare versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $467 in Harare versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,018 in Harare versus $2,381 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, Harare and Barcelona 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 134% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.