Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Kwekwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kwekwe: $754 a month against $1,076 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Kwekwe
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Kwekwe Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Kwekwe

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Kwekwe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Harare versus $754 in Kwekwe.

Harare $1,076
Kwekwe $754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Harare versus $1,501 in Kwekwe.

Harare $1,802
Kwekwe $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,528 in Harare versus $2,249 in Kwekwe.

Harare $2,528
Kwekwe $2,249

Living in Harare is roughly 43% more expensive than in Kwekwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 20% lower, Kwekwe 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ZWL 325

$12.47 ZWL 331

-1.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.28 ZWL 1,202

$45.07 ZWL 1,196

0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$5.65 ZWL 150

-1.24%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ZWL 81.3

$3.06 ZWL 81.1

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

$0.83 ZWL 21.99

$0.83 ZWL 21.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.16

$0.43 ZWL 11.40

6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.90

$1.24 ZWL 32.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$2.04 ZWL 54.2

-4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.25

$1.51 ZWL 40.14

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.20

$0.61 ZWL 16.15

67.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.85

$1.67 ZWL 44.24

-3.59%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.93 ZWL 51.1

1.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ZWL 303

$11.40 ZWL 303

0.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ZWL 144

$5.32 ZWL 141

2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZWL 176

$3.96 ZWL 105

67.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ZWL 84.7

$3.06 ZWL 81.2

4.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ZWL 43.51

$1.69 ZWL 44.97

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

-0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.30

$1.53 ZWL 40.63

-0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.40

$1.69 ZWL 44.74

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

$1.55 ZWL 41.03

-1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.28 ZWL 33.91

0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ZWL 26.76

$0.93 ZWL 24.71

8.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 ZWL 47.92

$1.75 ZWL 46.33

3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 ZWL 222

$8.00 ZWL 212

4.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.66

$1.34 ZWL 35.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.35

$1.78 ZWL 47.16

4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ZWL 27.06

$0.48 ZWL 12.75

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,577

$32.10 ZWL 852

85.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ZWL 105

$4.03 ZWL 107

-1.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$2.05 ZWL 54.3

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$4.89 ZWL 130

3.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.91

$1.57 ZWL 41.59

17.20%

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

$22.4K ZWL 594.0K

$21.6K ZWL 573.9K

3.50%

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

$27.6K ZWL 731.7K

$27.7K ZWL 735.4K

-0.50%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,343

$52.4 ZWL 1,390

-3.36%

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

$21.52 ZWL 571

$17.71 ZWL 470

21.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,900

$74.0 ZWL 1,965

-3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,199

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 264

$9.95 ZWL 264

0.10%

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

$419 ZWL 11.1K

$417 ZWL 11.1K

0.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZWL 435.4K

$16.6K ZWL 441.6K

-1.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 ZWL 568

$20.13 ZWL 534

6.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.25 ZWL 537

$20.00 ZWL 531

1.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.24 ZWL 988

$35.28 ZWL 936

5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.98 ZWL 1,061

$39.62 ZWL 1,051

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$148 ZWL 3,939

165.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,415

$121 ZWL 3,203

193.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ZWL 26.5K

$597 ZWL 15.8K

67.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 ZWL 23.0K

$800 ZWL 21.2K

8.38%

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

$302 ZWL 8,024

34.00%

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 Kwekwe: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$355 33%

Kwekwe

$121 16% 66% $234

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 20%

Kwekwe

$200 26.6% 6.9% $15

Eating Out

Harare

$167 15.5%

Kwekwe

$169 22.4% 1.1% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$144 13.4%

Kwekwe

$144 19.1% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Harare

$77 7.2%

Kwekwe

$48 6.4% 37.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$65 6.1%

Kwekwe

$20 * 2.6% 69.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$53 5%

Kwekwe

$52 6.9% 3.2% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Harare and $148 in Kwekwe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harare pays 34% 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: $45 in Harare vs $45 in Kwekwe. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $200, with Kwekwe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Kwekwe

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

93,072

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Harare Kwekwe 180 km

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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 Kwekwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kwekwe is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Harare, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Harare versus $148 in Kwekwe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% 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 $754 in Kwekwe – Kwekwe is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $754 in Kwekwe versus $1,076 in Harare, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kwekwe but tight or insufficient in Harare. The gap between the two cities makes Kwekwe 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.

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