Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masvingo and Harare

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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$617

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masvingo and in Harare

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

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

Masvingo $617
Harare $1,076

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

Masvingo $1,025
Harare $1,802

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

Masvingo $1,432
Harare $2,528

Living in Masvingo costs roughly 43% less than in Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.56 ZWL 334

$12.26 ZWL 326

2.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.86 ZWL 1,218

$45.28 ZWL 1,203

1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 ZWL 149

$5.58 ZWL 148

0.72%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ZWL 80.8

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

-0.65%

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

$0.84 ZWL 22.40

$0.83 ZWL 22.01

1.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ZWL 11.23

$0.46 ZWL 12.17

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZWL 32.77

$1.24 ZWL 32.93

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$1.95 ZWL 51.9

2.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.35

$1.52 ZWL 40.28

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ZWL 26.23

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.47

$1.61 ZWL 42.88

-0.62%

Eggs

$1.94 ZWL 51.4

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

-0.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 ZWL 307

$11.43 ZWL 303

1.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ZWL 146

$5.44 ZWL 145

1.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.89 ZWL 183

$6.62 ZWL 176

4.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ZWL 84.1

$3.19 ZWL 84.8

-0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 44.92

$1.64 ZWL 43.55

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ZWL 54.9

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

3.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.46

$1.52 ZWL 40.33

2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.14

$1.75 ZWL 46.43

-2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ZWL 40.51

$1.52 ZWL 40.42

0.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.29 ZWL 34.26

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ZWL 26.16

$1.01 ZWL 26.78

-2.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 ZWL 47.66

$1.81 ZWL 47.96

-1.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 ZWL 221

$8.38 ZWL 223

-0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ZWL 36.17

$1.34 ZWL 35.69

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.48

$1.86 ZWL 49.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ZWL 27.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 ZWL 1,578

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 ZWL 107

$3.96 ZWL 105

1.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$5.07 ZWL 135

-2.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ZWL 47.71

$1.84 ZWL 48.94

-2.17%

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

$21.8K ZWL 580.1K

$22.4K ZWL 594.5K

-2.42%

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

$27.4K ZWL 728.1K

$27.6K ZWL 732.2K

-0.57%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,346

$50.6 ZWL 1,344

0.14%

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

$21.61 ZWL 574

$21.52 ZWL 572

0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

-0.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 ZWL 1,200

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 ZWL 604

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 265

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

$420 ZWL 11.2K

$419 ZWL 11.1K

0.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ZWL 447.7K

$16.4K ZWL 435.7K

2.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.66 ZWL 575

$21.40 ZWL 568

1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.40 ZWL 542

$20.25 ZWL 538

0.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 ZWL 978

$37.24 ZWL 989

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.69 ZWL 1,081

$39.98 ZWL 1,062

1.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,422

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 Masvingo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masvingo

$216 35.1%

Harare

$215 20% 0.6% $1.3

Eating Out

Masvingo

$169 27.4%

Harare

$167 15.5% 1.3% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masvingo

$144 23.3%

Harare

$144 13.4% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Masvingo

$54 8.7%

Harare

$53 5% 0.6% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Masvingo

$20 * 3.2%

Harare

$65 6.1% 227% $45

Getting Around

Masvingo

$14 * 2.2%

Harare

$77 7.2% 461% $63

Accommodation & Living

Masvingo

- * 0%

Harare

$355 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

Same time as Masvingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,527

1,606,000 Capital

💱 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

Masvingo Harare 250 km

From you

Masvingo
Harare

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 Harare: 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 $925 in Masvingo and $1,614 in Harare 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 $420 in Masvingo versus $419 in Harare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $617 per month in Masvingo versus $1,076 in Harare – 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.