Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Victoria Falls

For one person, living is cheaper in Victoria Falls: $909 a month against $1,021 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Harare outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,021

/mo nomad

Victoria Falls

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harare and in Victoria Falls

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Harare versus $909 in Victoria Falls.

Harare $1,021
Victoria Falls $909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,695 in Harare versus $1,482 in Victoria Falls.

Harare $1,695
Victoria Falls $1,482

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Harare versus $2,055 in Victoria Falls.

Harare $2,368
Victoria Falls $2,055

Living in Harare is roughly 12% more expensive than in Victoria Falls, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harare 24% lower, Victoria Falls 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.96 ZWL 265

$9.95 ZWL 265

0.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.84 ZWL 1,220

$45.40 ZWL 1,208

0.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 ZWL 156

Cappuccino

$3.07 ZWL 81.7

$5.96 ZWL 159

-48.49%

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

$0.93 ZWL 24.65

$0.99 ZWL 26.32

-6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZWL 13.10

$0.52 ZWL 13.84

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 34.04

$5.07 ZWL 135

-74.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ZWL 39.90

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

-26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ZWL 25.89

$0.98 ZWL 26.00

-1.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.34

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

-12.37%

Eggs

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

$3.63 ZWL 96.6

-47.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 ZWL 303

$2.48 ZWL 66.1

359.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$5.88 ZWL 156

-5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 ZWL 169

$8.17 ZWL 217

-22.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

$2.93 ZWL 78.1

1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

-44.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ZWL 55.2

$2.91 ZWL 77.6

-28.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

$4.09 ZWL 109

-62.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 44.88

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.51

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

-14.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ZWL 34.48

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

-34.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ZWL 25.26

$1.52 ZWL 40.33

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 ZWL 54.4

$3.52 ZWL 93.6

-42.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 ZWL 216

$19.86 ZWL 529

-59.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ZWL 35.25

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ZWL 52.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ZWL 27.37

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

-47.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 ZWL 1,600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 ZWL 108

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ZWL 53.6

$1.02 ZWL 27.09

97.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 ZWL 129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ZWL 47.89

$1.78 ZWL 47.26

1.12%

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

$21.8K ZWL 580.4K

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

$27.6K ZWL 734.5K

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

$50.8 ZWL 1,352

$25.15 ZWL 669

102.03%

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

$21.38 ZWL 569

$25.45 ZWL 677

-15.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 ZWL 1,870

$69.2 ZWL 1,841

1.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.57 ZWL 1,293

$60.1 ZWL 1,600

-19.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.24 ZWL 592

$14.90 ZWL 397

49.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ZWL 269

$19.93 ZWL 530

-49.22%

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

$428 ZWL 11.4K

$99.1 ZWL 2,636

332.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,559 ZWL 227.8K

$6,080 ZWL 161.8K

40.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.89 ZWL 609

$15.10 ZWL 402

51.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.95 ZWL 558

$24.65 ZWL 656

-15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.61 ZWL 1,027

$59.9 ZWL 1,594

-35.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.85 ZWL 1,060

$45.18 ZWL 1,202

-11.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 ZWL 10.2K

$252 ZWL 6,697

52.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 ZWL 8,350

$180 ZWL 4,796

74.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 ZWL 22.1K

$501 ZWL 13.3K

65.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ZWL 19.6K

$354 ZWL 9,432

107.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$915 ZWL 24.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$387 ZWL 10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$413 ZWL 11.0K

$795 ZWL 21.2K

-48.05%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Victoria Falls: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$314 30.7%

Victoria Falls

–

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$213 20.8%

Victoria Falls

–

Eating Out

Harare

$150 14.7%

Victoria Falls

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 14%

Victoria Falls

–

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.7%

Victoria Falls

–

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$69 6.7%

Victoria Falls

–

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$55 5.4%

Victoria Falls

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $383 in Harare and $252 in Victoria Falls. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Victoria Falls pays 92% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Harare vs $45.00 in Victoria Falls. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $248, with Harare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Victoria Falls

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

35,215

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harare Victoria Falls 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Harare
Victoria Falls

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 Victoria Falls: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Victoria Falls is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Victoria Falls. 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: $383 in Harare versus $252 in Victoria Falls. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Harare pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,021 per month in Harare versus $909 in Victoria Falls – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $909 in Victoria Falls versus $1,021 in Harare, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Victoria Falls but tight or insufficient in Harare. The gap between the two cities makes Victoria Falls 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.

Expats usually find Victoria Falls gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Harare. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.