Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Chinhoyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chinhoyi: $644 a month against $1,076 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
Learn more

Harare Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Chinhoyi
Learn more

Chinhoyi Living Index

Jump to prices

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Chinhoyi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Chinhoyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Harare versus $644 in Chinhoyi.

Harare $1,076
Chinhoyi $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Harare versus $1,016 in Chinhoyi.

Harare $1,802
Chinhoyi $1,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,528 in Harare versus $1,388 in Chinhoyi.

Harare $2,528
Chinhoyi $1,388

Living in Harare is roughly 67% more expensive than in Chinhoyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 20% lower, Chinhoyi 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ZWL 325

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

506.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.28 ZWL 1,202

$45.05 ZWL 1,196

0.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$4.39 ZWL 116

27.11%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ZWL 81.3

$0.98 ZWL 25.97

212.24%

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

$0.83 ZWL 21.99

$0.34 ZWL 9.12

144.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.16

$0.26 ZWL 6.92

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.90

$1.02 ZWL 27.17

21.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$2.05 ZWL 54.3

-4.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.25

$1.54 ZWL 40.92

-1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.20

$0.87 ZWL 23.18

17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.85

$1.66 ZWL 43.99

-3.01%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

1.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ZWL 303

$11.63 ZWL 309

-1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ZWL 144

$3.03 ZWL 80.5

79.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZWL 176

$3.91 ZWL 104

69.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ZWL 84.7

$1.03 ZWL 27.25

209.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ZWL 43.51

$0.97 ZWL 25.84

69.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

$0.99 ZWL 26.18

102.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.30

$0.97 ZWL 25.86

56.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.40

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

73.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$0.52 ZWL 13.74

148.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ZWL 26.76

$0.82 ZWL 21.88

23.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 ZWL 47.92

$1.74 ZWL 46.25

4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 ZWL 222

$7.19 ZWL 191

16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.66

$0.49 ZWL 12.96

173.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.35

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

89.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ZWL 27.06

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

4.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,577

$29.64 ZWL 787

100.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ZWL 105

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

-1.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$5.05 ZWL 134

0.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.91

$1.40 ZWL 37.22

31.43%

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

$22.4K ZWL 594.0K

$22.2K ZWL 590.3K

0.63%

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

$27.6K ZWL 731.7K

$27.4K ZWL 727.7K

0.55%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,343

$39.97 ZWL 1,061

26.62%

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

$21.52 ZWL 571

$19.68 ZWL 522

9.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,900

$73.9 ZWL 1,961

-3.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,199

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 264

$10.15 ZWL 269

-1.87%

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

$419 ZWL 11.1K

$424 ZWL 11.2K

-1.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZWL 435.4K

$15.0K ZWL 398.1K

9.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 ZWL 568

$21.27 ZWL 565

0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.25 ZWL 537

$19.81 ZWL 526

2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.24 ZWL 988

$35.82 ZWL 951

3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.98 ZWL 1,061

$39.84 ZWL 1,057

0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,415

$182 ZWL 4,826

95.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ZWL 26.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 ZWL 23.0K

$297 ZWL 7,878

191.91%

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)

$405 ZWL 10.8K

$197 ZWL 5,239

105.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

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

Last update for Harare: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chinhoyi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$355 33%

Chinhoyi

$182 28.2% 48.7% $173

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 20%

Chinhoyi

$156 24.2% 27.5% $59

Eating Out

Harare

$167 15.5%

Chinhoyi

$53 8.2% 68.4% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$144 13.4%

Chinhoyi

$134 20.7% 7.1% $10

Getting Around

Harare

$77 7.2%

Chinhoyi

$47 7.4% 38.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$65 6.1%

Chinhoyi

$20 * 3.2% 68.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$53 5%

Chinhoyi

$53 8.2% 1.8% $1

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

Cost Breakdown

Harare pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Harare vs $45 in Chinhoyi. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $156, with Chinhoyi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Chinhoyi

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

56,794

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harare Chinhoyi 100 km

From you

Harare
Chinhoyi

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 Chinhoyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,076 in Harare and $644 in Chinhoyi, so Chinhoyi is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Harare is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Harare. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,076 per month in Harare versus $644 in Chinhoyi – Chinhoyi is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Chinhoyi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Chinhoyi wins on affordability, Harare on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.