Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,025 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,025

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,025 per month in Harare vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Harare $1,025
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in Harare vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Harare $1,682
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,339 per month in Harare vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Harare $2,339
Cairo $1,431

Harare costs about 59% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Harare and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Harare 24% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ZWL 270

$4.69 E£245

115.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.29 ZWL 1,210

$28.49 E£1,491

58.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ZWL 150

$6.03 E£316

-7.13%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ZWL 80.4

$1.81 E£94.8

66.30%

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

$0.97 ZWL 26.04

$0.35 E£18.18

177.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 12.07

$0.15 E£7.95

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZWL 32.56

$1.45 E£76.0

-15.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 52.2

$2.24 E£117

-12.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ZWL 39.29

$0.97 E£50.7

51.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.29

$0.73 E£37.97

39.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ZWL 45.80

$0.77 E£40.25

122.08%

Eggs

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

$1.17 E£61.2

69.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 ZWL 304

$4.32 E£226

163.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ZWL 148

$5.07 E£265

9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 ZWL 171

$8.92 E£467

-28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 ZWL 82.1

$1.83 E£95.8

67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.29

$0.75 E£39.08

126.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ZWL 55.4

$0.57 E£29.78

264.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.45

$0.51 E£26.63

196.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.67

$0.38 E£20.06

360.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ZWL 47.51

$0.42 E£21.89

323.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.72

$0.35 E£18.43

248.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.02

$0.24 E£12.57

291.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$1.99 E£104

-2.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ZWL 224

$7.48 E£391

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.81

$1.52 E£79.4

-9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

$2.13 E£112

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZWL 27.10

$0.33 E£17.10

206.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ZWL 1,578

$8.66 E£453

582.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ZWL 110

$0.37 E£19.27

1013.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 ZWL 54.8

$0.20 E£10.65

925.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 ZWL 135

$1.49 E£77.8

239.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 49.04

$0.46 E£23.95

300.00%

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

$21.6K ZWL 576.3K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-33.87%

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

$27.6K ZWL 736.2K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-2.93%

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

$52.2 ZWL 1,394

$27.54 E£1,441

89.47%

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

$21.85 ZWL 583

$8.27 E£433

164.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 ZWL 1,817

$14.05 E£735

384.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 ZWL 1,286

$28.27 E£1,480

70.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 ZWL 609

$6.70 E£350

240.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 ZWL 264

$4.40 E£230

124.55%

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

$428 ZWL 11.4K

$121 E£6,357

252.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,427 ZWL 225.1K

$3,619 E£189.4K

132.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.65 ZWL 632

$40.16 E£2,102

-41.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.26 ZWL 568

$49.61 E£2,596

-57.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.85 ZWL 1,038

$115 E£6,034

-66.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.60 ZWL 1,058

$60.6 E£3,170

-34.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 ZWL 10.4K

$220 E£11.5K

76.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 ZWL 8,435

$194 E£10.2K

62.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 ZWL 22.4K

$514 E£26.9K

62.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 ZWL 20.2K

$334 E£17.5K

126.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$913 ZWL 24.4K

$806 E£42.2K

13.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$388 ZWL 10.4K

$513 E£26.9K

-24.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 ZWL 11.3K

$200 E£10.5K

110.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

16.21

-15.55%

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

Last update for Harare: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$316 30.9%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 38.5% $122

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 21%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 34.2% $73

Eating Out

Harare

$150 14.6%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 39.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 13.9%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 64.9% $92

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.6%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 85.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.6%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 45.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$56 5.4%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 115% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Harare versus $220 in Cairo. 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 110% 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 $45.00 in Harare versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.96 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

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Between locations

Harare Cairo 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Harare is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,537 per month in Harare and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Harare, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Harare and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Harare at $1,025. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harare it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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