Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Gweru

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.

52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Gweru
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Gweru Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Gweru

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Gweru

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

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

Harare $1,076
Gweru $602

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

Harare $1,802
Gweru $1,080

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

Harare $2,528
Gweru $1,557

Harare costs about 79% more than Gweru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ZWL 326

$3.79 ZWL 101

223.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.28 ZWL 1,203

$45.06 ZWL 1,197

0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$5.66 ZWL 150

-1.41%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

$2.97 ZWL 79.0

3.03%

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

$0.83 ZWL 22.01

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

72.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.17

$0.41 ZWL 11.00

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.93

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

-3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.9

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

16.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.28

$1.53 ZWL 40.60

-0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.88

$1.61 ZWL 42.79

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

1.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ZWL 303

$11.52 ZWL 306

-0.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ZWL 145

$3.90 ZWL 104

39.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZWL 176

$5.34 ZWL 142

23.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ZWL 84.8

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

61.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ZWL 43.55

$1.62 ZWL 43.07

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

-0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.33

$0.99 ZWL 26.22

53.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.43

$1.75 ZWL 46.35

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.42

$1.01 ZWL 26.84

50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.26

$1.32 ZWL 35.08

-2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ZWL 26.78

$0.92 ZWL 24.53

9.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 ZWL 47.96

$1.74 ZWL 46.16

4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 ZWL 223

$8.16 ZWL 217

2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.69

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.39

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ZWL 27.08

$0.48 ZWL 12.62

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,578

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ZWL 105

$3.93 ZWL 104

0.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$0.87 ZWL 23.07

124.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$5.12 ZWL 136

-0.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.94

$1.59 ZWL 42.31

15.72%

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

$22.4K ZWL 594.5K

$21.9K ZWL 581.5K

2.24%

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

$27.6K ZWL 732.2K

$27.9K ZWL 740.2K

-1.08%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,344

$29.63 ZWL 787

70.81%

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

$21.52 ZWL 572

$17.19 ZWL 457

25.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

$72.8 ZWL 1,933

-1.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,200

$39.66 ZWL 1,053

13.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

1043.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 265

$10.10 ZWL 268

-1.39%

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

$419 ZWL 11.1K

$247 ZWL 6,571

69.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZWL 435.7K

$5,713 ZWL 151.7K

187.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 ZWL 568

$21.74 ZWL 577

-1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.25 ZWL 538

$20.03 ZWL 532

1.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.24 ZWL 989

$36.69 ZWL 975

1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.98 ZWL 1,062

$40.87 ZWL 1,085

-2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$148 ZWL 3,926

166.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,422

$69.5 ZWL 1,846

410.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ZWL 26.5K

$557 ZWL 14.8K

79.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 ZWL 23.0K

$305 ZWL 8,098

184.21%

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

$246 ZWL 6,532

64.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

95.57%

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

Last update for Harare: October 31, 2026

Last update for Gweru: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$355 33%

Gweru

$70 11.5% 80.4% $285

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 20%

Gweru

$193 32% 10.4% $22

Eating Out

Harare

$167 15.5%

Gweru

$96 16% 42.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$144 13.4%

Gweru

$120 19.9% 16.8% $24

Getting Around

Harare

$77 7.2%

Gweru

$10 * 1.7% 86.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$65 6.1%

Gweru

$60 9.9% 8.1% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$53 5%

Gweru

$54 8.9% 0.4% $0.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $393 in Harare versus $148 in Gweru. 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 Harare versus $45 in Gweru. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Harare vs $193 in Gweru – so Gweru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Gweru

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

141,260

💱 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

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Harare Gweru 220 km

From you

Harare
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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 Gweru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,614 per month in Harare and $903 in Gweru. 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 $419 per month in Harare and $247 in Gweru. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,076 in Harare and $602 in Gweru, 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.