Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Marondera

For one person, living is cheaper in Marondera: $764 a month against $1,076 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Marondera
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Marondera Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Marondera

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Marondera

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Harare versus $764 in Marondera.

Harare $1,076
Marondera $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Harare versus $1,157 in Marondera.

Harare $1,802
Marondera $1,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,528 in Harare versus $1,550 in Marondera.

Harare $2,528
Marondera $1,550

Living in Harare is roughly 41% more expensive than in Marondera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 20% lower, Marondera 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ZWL 325

$5.09 ZWL 135

140.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.28 ZWL 1,202

$44.18 ZWL 1,172

2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$5.53 ZWL 147

0.90%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ZWL 81.3

$2.05 ZWL 54.3

49.27%

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

$0.83 ZWL 21.99

$0.89 ZWL 23.65

-6.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.16

$0.42 ZWL 11.13

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.90

$1.26 ZWL 33.51

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$2.04 ZWL 54.1

-4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.25

$0.99 ZWL 26.16

53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.20

$1.02 ZWL 27.04

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.85

$1.02 ZWL 27.16

57.84%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$2.03 ZWL 54.0

-3.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ZWL 303

$9.85 ZWL 261

16.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ZWL 144

$5.02 ZWL 133

8.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZWL 176

$4.88 ZWL 129

35.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ZWL 84.7

$3.05 ZWL 80.9

4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ZWL 43.51

$1.65 ZWL 43.87

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

$1.97 ZWL 52.2

1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.30

$1.51 ZWL 39.98

0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.40

$1.74 ZWL 46.12

0.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

$1.58 ZWL 41.87

-3.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.35 ZWL 35.75

-4.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ZWL 26.76

$1.01 ZWL 26.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 ZWL 47.92

$1.82 ZWL 48.31

-0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 ZWL 222

$4.10 ZWL 109

104.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.66

$1.34 ZWL 35.68

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.35

$1.82 ZWL 48.37

2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ZWL 27.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,577

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ZWL 105

$4.07 ZWL 108

-2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

-1.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$5.14 ZWL 136

-1.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.91

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

$22.4K ZWL 594.0K

$21.7K ZWL 575.1K

3.28%

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

$27.6K ZWL 731.7K

$27.4K ZWL 728.1K

0.49%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,343

$50.3 ZWL 1,336

0.54%

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

$21.52 ZWL 571

$21.22 ZWL 563

1.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,900

$73.1 ZWL 1,941

-2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,199

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 264

$10.16 ZWL 270

-1.97%

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

$419 ZWL 11.1K

$413 ZWL 11.0K

1.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZWL 435.4K

$16.9K ZWL 447.8K

-2.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 ZWL 568

$21.69 ZWL 576

-1.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.25 ZWL 537

$19.69 ZWL 523

2.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.24 ZWL 988

$36.44 ZWL 967

2.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.98 ZWL 1,061

$40.44 ZWL 1,073

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$253 ZWL 6,706

55.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,415

$248 ZWL 6,574

43.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ZWL 26.5K

$402 ZWL 10.7K

148.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 ZWL 23.0K

$348 ZWL 9,246

148.74%

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

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 Marondera: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$355 33%

Marondera

$248 32.4% 30.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 20%

Marondera

$187 24.4% 13.3% $29

Eating Out

Harare

$167 15.5%

Marondera

$97 12.8% 41.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$144 13.4%

Marondera

$145 18.9% 0.7% $1

Getting Around

Harare

$77 7.2%

Marondera

$14 * 1.8% 81.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$65 6.1%

Marondera

$20 * 2.7% 68.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$53 5%

Marondera

$53 7% 0.5% $0.3

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 $253 in Marondera. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in Harare vs $44 in Marondera for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $187 per month, with Marondera cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Marondera

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

52,283

💱 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

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Between locations

Harare Marondera 66 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 Marondera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marondera is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,614 in Harare and $1,146 in Marondera to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Harare versus $253 in Marondera. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Harare. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $419 in Harare versus $413 in Marondera. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Marondera 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.