Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Masvingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $617 a month against $1,076 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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 Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Masvingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Harare versus $617 in Masvingo.

Harare $1,076
Masvingo $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Harare versus $1,025 in Masvingo.

Harare $1,802
Masvingo $1,025

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,528 in Harare versus $1,432 in Masvingo.

Harare $2,528
Masvingo $1,432

Living in Harare is roughly 74% more expensive than in Masvingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 20% lower, Masvingo 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ZWL 325

$12.56 ZWL 333

-2.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.28 ZWL 1,202

$45.86 ZWL 1,217

-1.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$5.62 ZWL 149

-0.71%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ZWL 81.3

$3.04 ZWL 80.7

0.66%

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

$0.83 ZWL 21.99

$0.84 ZWL 22.38

-1.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.16

$0.42 ZWL 11.22

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.90

$1.23 ZWL 32.75

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

-2.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.25

$1.52 ZWL 40.32

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.20

$0.99 ZWL 26.21

3.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.85

$1.60 ZWL 42.44

0.63%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.94 ZWL 51.4

0.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 ZWL 303

$11.56 ZWL 307

-1.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ZWL 144

$5.50 ZWL 146

-1.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZWL 176

$6.89 ZWL 183

-3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ZWL 84.7

$3.17 ZWL 84.1

0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ZWL 43.51

$1.69 ZWL 44.89

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

$2.07 ZWL 54.8

-3.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.30

$1.56 ZWL 41.42

-2.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.40

$1.70 ZWL 45.10

2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

$1.53 ZWL 40.48

-0.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.29 ZWL 34.20

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ZWL 26.76

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

3.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 ZWL 47.92

$1.79 ZWL 47.63

1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 ZWL 222

$8.31 ZWL 221

0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.66

$1.36 ZWL 36.14

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.35

$1.86 ZWL 49.44

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

$4.03 ZWL 107

-1.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$4.93 ZWL 131

2.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.91

$1.80 ZWL 47.68

2.22%

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

$22.4K ZWL 594.0K

$21.8K ZWL 579.7K

2.48%

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

$27.6K ZWL 731.7K

$27.4K ZWL 727.5K

0.57%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,343

$50.7 ZWL 1,345

-0.14%

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

$21.52 ZWL 571

$21.61 ZWL 573

-0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,900

0.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,199

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 264

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

$419 ZWL 11.1K

$420 ZWL 11.2K

-0.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZWL 435.4K

$16.9K ZWL 447.4K

-2.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 ZWL 568

$21.66 ZWL 575

-1.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.25 ZWL 537

$20.40 ZWL 541

-0.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.24 ZWL 988

$36.83 ZWL 978

1.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.98 ZWL 1,061

$40.69 ZWL 1,080

-1.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 ZWL 26.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 ZWL 23.0K

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 Masvingo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$355 33%

Masvingo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 20%

Masvingo

$216 35.1% 0.6% $1.3

Eating Out

Harare

$167 15.5%

Masvingo

$169 27.4% 1.4% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$144 13.4%

Masvingo

$144 23.3% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Harare

$77 7.2%

Masvingo

$14 * 2.2% 82.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$65 6.1%

Masvingo

$20 * 3.2% 69.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$53 5%

Masvingo

$54 8.7% 0.6% $0.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45 in Harare vs $46 in Masvingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $216 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

72,527

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Harare Masvingo 250 km

From you

Harare
Masvingo

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 Masvingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masvingo is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in 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 $925 in Masvingo 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.

Childcare runs $419 in Harare versus $420 in Masvingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,076 per month in Harare versus $617 in Masvingo – Masvingo is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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