Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,076 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Budapest

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 Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,076 per month in Harare vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Harare $1,076
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $1,802 per month in Harare vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Harare $1,802
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $2,528 per month in Harare vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Harare $2,528
Budapest $3,488

Harare is about 35% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Harare sits 20% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ZWL 325

$13.63 Ft 4,407

-10.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.28 ZWL 1,202

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

-25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$10.02 Ft 3,239

-44.31%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ZWL 81.3

$3.33 Ft 1,075

-8.11%

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

$0.83 ZWL 21.99

$2.12 Ft 684

-60.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.16

$1.80 Ft 581

-74.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.90

$3.61 Ft 1,166

-65.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$3.59 Ft 1,160

-45.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.25

$1.12 Ft 361

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.20

$1.93 Ft 623

-47.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.85

$2.49 Ft 804

-35.34%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$3.94 Ft 1,275

-50.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ZWL 303

$11.28 Ft 3,646

1.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ZWL 144

$6.73 Ft 2,177

-19.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZWL 176

$14.44 Ft 4,670

-54.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ZWL 84.7

$1.86 Ft 601

71.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ZWL 43.51

$2.04 Ft 658

-19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

$2.29 Ft 740

-12.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.30

$3.99 Ft 1,290

-61.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.40

$0.94 Ft 304

86.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

$1.02 Ft 330

49.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.65 Ft 534

-21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ZWL 26.76

$0.68 Ft 221

48.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 ZWL 47.92

$7.81 Ft 2,526

-76.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 ZWL 222

$6.02 Ft 1,946

39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.66

$1.29 Ft 418

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.35

$2.02 Ft 655

-7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ZWL 27.06

$1.50 Ft 484

-32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,577

$27.13 Ft 8,769

118.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ZWL 105

$3.36 Ft 1,085

17.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.37 Ft 444

42.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$19.96 Ft 6,451

-74.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.91

$1.86 Ft 603

-1.08%

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

$22.4K ZWL 594.0K

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

-21.51%

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

$27.6K ZWL 731.7K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-17.41%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,343

$178 Ft 57.6K

-71.59%

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

$21.52 ZWL 571

$23.58 Ft 7,623

-8.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,900

$24.12 Ft 7,797

196.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,199

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

-35.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

$17.03 Ft 5,505

33.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 264

$10.48 Ft 3,388

-4.96%

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

$419 ZWL 11.1K

$625 Ft 202.1K

-32.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZWL 435.4K

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

-16.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 ZWL 568

$102 Ft 33.0K

-79.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.25 ZWL 537

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

-53.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.24 ZWL 988

$110 Ft 35.5K

-66.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.98 ZWL 1,061

$121 Ft 39.0K

-66.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$845 Ft 273.3K

-53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,415

$638 Ft 206.4K

-44.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ZWL 26.5K

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

-38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 ZWL 23.0K

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

-28.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$939 ZWL 24.9K

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

-83.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$394 ZWL 10.5K

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

-89.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$405 ZWL 10.8K

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

-76.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

6.34

115.93%

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

Last update for Harare: October 31, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$355 33%

Budapest

$638 38.8% 80% $284

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 20%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 20.8% $45

Eating Out

Harare

$167 15.5%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 31.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$144 13.4%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 57.1% $82

Getting Around

Harare

$77 7.2%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 43.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$65 6.1%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 39.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$53 5%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 216% $116

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $393 in Harare versus $845 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Harare versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $260 – making Harare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

1 h behind Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.79 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harare Budapest 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,614 per month in Harare and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $393 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $419 per month in Harare and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Harare, where all-in costs run around $1,076, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Harare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Harare – 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 Harare. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.