Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,018 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,018

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Harare versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Harare $1,018
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,696 in Harare versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Harare $1,696
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,375 in Harare versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Harare $2,375
Phuket $2,845

Living in Harare costs roughly 16% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 25% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 ZWL 265

$4.40 ฿147

126.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.58 ZWL 1,213

$32.26 ฿1,078

41.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 ZWL 150

$8.76 ฿293

-35.73%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

$2.83 ฿94.5

5.30%

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

$0.94 ZWL 24.95

$0.90 ฿30.14

4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 11.98

$0.47 ฿15.56

-4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

$2.55 ฿85.2

-61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$3.83 ฿128

-49.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ZWL 40.78

$1.73 ฿57.7

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.05

$1.47 ฿49.11

-30.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ZWL 44.16

$1.51 ฿50.6

9.93%

Eggs

$1.98 ZWL 52.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 ZWL 303

$19.70 ฿658

-42.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ZWL 144

$3.34 ฿112

61.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 ZWL 181

$11.16 ฿373

-39.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

$2.85 ฿95.1

7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ZWL 43.25

$1.70 ฿56.9

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$2.19 ฿73.3

-6.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.50

$2.05 ฿68.4

-25.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 46.09

$1.45 ฿48.57

19.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.94

$1.38 ฿46.16

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.35

$1.07 ฿35.69

20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ZWL 26.67

$0.51 ฿16.91

96.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$4.26 ฿142

-54.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 ZWL 222

$18.58 ฿621

-55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.62

$1.78 ฿59.7

-22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$2.85 ฿95.2

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

$2.26 ฿75.6

-56.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 ZWL 1,618

$22.10 ฿738

175.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 ZWL 103

$3.01 ฿101

28.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$1.06 ฿35.34

93.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$3.86 ฿129

32.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 ZWL 47.75

$1.45 ฿48.45

23.45%

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

$21.9K ZWL 582.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-16.84%

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

$27.2K ZWL 722.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

0.79%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,348

$96.4 ฿3,221

-47.45%

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

$21.89 ZWL 583

$11.04 ฿369

98.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 ZWL 1,849

$17.14 ฿573

305.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.15 ZWL 1,255

$52.2 ฿1,744

-9.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 ZWL 596

$11.16 ฿373

100.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 ZWL 271

$7.81 ฿261

30.35%

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

$467 ZWL 12.4K

$556 ฿18.6K

-16.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,608 ZWL 229.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-25.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.43 ZWL 623

$64.2 ฿2,146

-63.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.48 ZWL 572

$28.69 ฿959

-25.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.24 ZWL 1,018

$95.4 ฿3,187

-59.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.39 ZWL 1,075

$88.0 ฿2,940

-54.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ZWL 10.2K

$737 ฿24.6K

-47.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 ZWL 8,284

$462 ฿15.5K

-32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 ZWL 22.2K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-60.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ZWL 19.8K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-38.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$939 ZWL 25.0K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-73.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-84.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 ZWL 11.2K

$501 ฿16.7K

-16.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

5.57

145.78%

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

Last update for Harare: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$311 30.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 48.5% $151

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$216 21.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.4% $53

Eating Out

Harare

$147 14.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 17.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 14%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 12.3% $17

Getting Around

Harare

$79 7.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 50% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 0.4% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$56 5.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 124% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $384 in Harare and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 19% 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: $46.00 in Harare vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $216 vs $269, with Harare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

5 h ahead of Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Harare Phuket 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $384 in Harare versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $467 in Harare versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,018 in Harare versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Harare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Harare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Harare and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.