Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masvingo and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $606 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$606

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masvingo and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Masvingo and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $606 in Masvingo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Masvingo $606
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,005 in Masvingo versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Masvingo $1,005
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,405 in Masvingo versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Masvingo $1,405
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Masvingo costs roughly 78% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masvingo is 55% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.03 ZWL 268

$20.22 $20.22

-50.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 ZWL 1,198

$85.0 $85.0

-47.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 ZWL 158

$12.35 $12.35

-52.06%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ZWL 78.3

$5.47 $5.47

-46.44%

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

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

$3.82 $3.82

-73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 11.96

$2.50 $2.50

-82.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ZWL 33.70

$8.06 $8.06

-84.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ZWL 53.9

$8.99 $8.99

-77.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ZWL 41.12

$1.13 $1.13

36.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 ZWL 27.40

$3.78 $3.78

-72.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 45.14

$3.25 $3.25

-48.00%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$4.14 $4.14

-52.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 ZWL 309

$13.08 $13.08

-11.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 ZWL 147

$14.31 $14.31

-61.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.50 ZWL 173

$15.96 $15.96

-59.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ZWL 78.1

$4.38 $4.38

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ZWL 43.45

$1.45 $1.45

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ZWL 53.2

$4.54 $4.54

-56.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ZWL 42.20

$4.19 $4.19

-62.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 ZWL 45.59

$2.63 $2.63

-34.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 ZWL 47.74

$2.36 $2.36

-24.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ZWL 34.18

$1.76 $1.76

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.15

$2.16 $2.16

-56.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 ZWL 51.9

$9.81 $9.81

-80.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 ZWL 219

$14.72 $14.72

-44.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.74

$2.78 $2.78

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ZWL 52.4

$3.48 $3.48

-43.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 ZWL 109

$2.67 $2.67

52.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ZWL 53.7

$1.58 $1.58

27.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 ZWL 131

$35.29 $35.29

-86.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 ZWL 49.47

$0.99 $0.99

86.87%

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

$21.9K ZWL 583.3K

$35.8K $35.8K

-38.96%

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

$27.4K ZWL 732.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

0.99%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,354

$219 $219

-76.87%

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

$21.58 ZWL 576

$58.0 $58.0

-62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 ZWL 1,866

$68.4 $68.4

2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 ZWL 268

$14.13 $14.13

-28.80%

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

$441 ZWL 11.8K

$1,509 $1,509

-70.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,395 ZWL 224.1K

$21.5K $21.5K

-60.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.54 ZWL 628

$51.7 $51.7

-54.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.02 ZWL 561

$44.05 $44.05

-52.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.55 ZWL 1,029

$85.1 $85.1

-54.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.69 ZWL 1,059

$105 $105

-62.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

6.79

101.62%

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

Last update for Masvingo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masvingo

$215 36%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 87.6% $188

Eating Out

Masvingo

$149 25.1%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 133% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masvingo

$142 23.9%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 143% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Masvingo

$55 9.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 133% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Masvingo

$20 * 3.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 328% $66

Getting Around

Masvingo

$14 * 2.4%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 303% $43

Accommodation & Living

Masvingo

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45.00 in Masvingo vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $403 per month, with Masvingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

20:40 8:40 PM

7 h behind Masvingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,527

974,447

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.75 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 26.69 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.75 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Masvingo Austin, TX 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Masvingo
Austin, TX

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

Masvingo vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masvingo wins on cost – living expenses run 346% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Masvingo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $908 in Masvingo and $4,055 in Austin, TX 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 $441 in Masvingo versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Masvingo – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $606 in Masvingo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Masvingo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Masvingo 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 Masvingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 346% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.