Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Shurugwi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $1,065 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
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Shurugwi Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,065

/mo nomad

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Shurugwi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,065 in Harare versus $579 in Shurugwi.

Harare $1,065
Shurugwi $579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Harare versus $951 in Shurugwi.

Harare $1,788
Shurugwi $951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,512 in Harare versus $1,322 in Shurugwi.

Harare $2,512
Shurugwi $1,322

Living in Harare is roughly 84% more expensive than in Shurugwi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 22% lower, Shurugwi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 ZWL 263

$10.05 ZWL 267

-1.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 ZWL 1,198

$40.29 ZWL 1,071

11.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 ZWL 152

$5.92 ZWL 157

-3.21%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

$1.68 ZWL 44.73

79.76%

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

$0.93 ZWL 24.82

$0.94 ZWL 24.85

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ZWL 12.37

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

-2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ZWL 32.25

$1.24 ZWL 32.92

-2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 53.9

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

-0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ZWL 41.10

$1.49 ZWL 39.63

4.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.87

$0.98 ZWL 26.01

3.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.12

$1.63 ZWL 43.33

4.29%

Eggs

$1.88 ZWL 49.92

$1.87 ZWL 49.76

0.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 ZWL 299

$11.30 ZWL 300

-0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ZWL 147

$5.33 ZWL 142

3.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 ZWL 180

$6.38 ZWL 169

6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

$3.07 ZWL 81.6

-1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ZWL 43.94

$1.71 ZWL 45.36

-3.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

-1.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.24

$1.56 ZWL 41.57

-3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.17

$1.68 ZWL 44.63

1.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.44

$1.73 ZWL 45.85

1.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.51

$1.27 ZWL 33.85

-3.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.07

$0.96 ZWL 25.41

-2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 ZWL 53.5

$2.03 ZWL 53.8

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 ZWL 217

$7.94 ZWL 211

3.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZWL 36.50

$1.37 ZWL 36.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ZWL 50.5

$1.99 ZWL 53.0

-4.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 ZWL 1,596

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 ZWL 108

$3.95 ZWL 105

2.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

-4.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$4.96 ZWL 132

1.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 ZWL 47.12

$1.78 ZWL 47.20

-0.56%

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

$22.2K ZWL 590.7K

$21.8K ZWL 579.4K

1.95%

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

$27.4K ZWL 729.1K

$27.5K ZWL 731.7K

-0.35%

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

$50.4 ZWL 1,340

$51.2 ZWL 1,360

-1.47%

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

$21.76 ZWL 578

$21.80 ZWL 579

-0.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 ZWL 1,801

$70.2 ZWL 1,866

-3.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 ZWL 1,275

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ZWL 604

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ZWL 269

$10.18 ZWL 270

-0.59%

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

$412 ZWL 10.9K

$427 ZWL 11.3K

-3.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,493 ZWL 225.6K

$8,514 ZWL 226.2K

-0.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.42 ZWL 622

$22.86 ZWL 607

2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.83 ZWL 553

$20.80 ZWL 553

0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.19 ZWL 1,015

$39.27 ZWL 1,043

-2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.76 ZWL 1,083

$39.59 ZWL 1,052

2.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 ZWL 10.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ZWL 9,605

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 ZWL 26.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 ZWL 23.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 ZWL 24.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$389 ZWL 10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 ZWL 11.1K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Shurugwi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$362 34%

Shurugwi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$214 20.1%

Shurugwi

$212 36.6% 1.1% $2.3

Eating Out

Harare

$148 13.9%

Shurugwi

$134 23.2% 9.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$140 13.1%

Shurugwi

$143 24.7% 2.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.3%

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.5% 81.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.4%

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5% 70.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$55 5.2%

Shurugwi

$55 9.5% 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 $40 in Shurugwi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $212 per month, with Shurugwi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

16,866

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Harare Shurugwi 230 km

From you

Harare
Shurugwi

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 Shurugwi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shurugwi is cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,598 in Harare and $868 in Shurugwi 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Shurugwi – a meal for two runs $40 versus $45 in Harare. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $412 in Harare versus $427 in Shurugwi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $579 in Shurugwi versus $1,065 in Harare, a $800 budget is realistic in Shurugwi but tight or insufficient in Harare. The gap between the two cities makes Shurugwi 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.