Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mutare and Harare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $780 a month against $1,076 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$780

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mutare 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 Mutare and in Harare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $780 in Mutare versus $1,076 in Harare.

Mutare $780
Harare $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,212 in Mutare versus $1,802 in Harare.

Mutare $1,212
Harare $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,643 in Mutare versus $2,528 in Harare.

Mutare $1,643
Harare $2,528

Living in Mutare costs roughly 28% less than in Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mutare 42% lower, Harare 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 ZWL 260

$12.26 ZWL 326

-20.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.81 ZWL 1,190

$45.28 ZWL 1,203

-1.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.48 ZWL 119

$5.58 ZWL 148

-19.71%

Cappuccino

$1.21 ZWL 32.24

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

-60.46%

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

$0.73 ZWL 19.33

$0.83 ZWL 22.01

-12.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ZWL 12.36

$0.46 ZWL 12.17

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.86

$1.24 ZWL 32.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ZWL 48.83

$1.95 ZWL 51.9

-5.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ZWL 32.53

$1.52 ZWL 40.28

-19.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.04

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

-3.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ZWL 33.81

$1.61 ZWL 42.88

-21.12%

Eggs

$1.92 ZWL 50.9

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

-1.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 ZWL 78.9

$11.43 ZWL 303

-74.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ZWL 104

$5.44 ZWL 145

-28.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$6.62 ZWL 176

-22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ZWL 54.6

$3.19 ZWL 84.8

-35.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ZWL 45.60

$1.64 ZWL 43.55

4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$2.00 ZWL 53.0

2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ZWL 27.33

$1.52 ZWL 40.33

-32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ZWL 44.37

$1.75 ZWL 46.43

-4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ZWL 25.82

$1.52 ZWL 40.42

-36.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ZWL 13.82

$1.29 ZWL 34.26

-59.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ZWL 26.49

$1.01 ZWL 26.78

-0.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.19 ZWL 31.51

$1.81 ZWL 47.96

-34.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.85 ZWL 155

$8.38 ZWL 223

-30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ZWL 32.47

$1.34 ZWL 35.69

-8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ZWL 44.29

$1.86 ZWL 49.39

-10.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZWL 19.28

$1.02 ZWL 27.08

-28.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.36 ZWL 727

$59.4 ZWL 1,578

-53.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ZWL 79.1

$3.96 ZWL 105

-24.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ZWL 54.0

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

4.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$5.07 ZWL 135

-0.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 ZWL 48.02

$1.84 ZWL 48.94

-1.63%

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

$21.8K ZWL 578.3K

$22.4K ZWL 594.5K

-2.72%

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

$24.1K ZWL 640.9K

$27.6K ZWL 732.2K

-12.48%

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

$50.3 ZWL 1,337

$50.6 ZWL 1,344

-0.53%

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

$14.71 ZWL 391

$21.52 ZWL 572

-31.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 ZWL 1,584

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

-16.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.90 ZWL 1,060

$45.19 ZWL 1,200

-11.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.95 ZWL 131

$22.75 ZWL 604

-78.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 ZWL 270

$9.96 ZWL 265

2.11%

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

$150 ZWL 3,986

$419 ZWL 11.1K

-64.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,598 ZWL 228.4K

$16.4K ZWL 435.7K

-47.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.93 ZWL 264

$21.40 ZWL 568

-53.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.69 ZWL 257

$20.25 ZWL 538

-52.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.39 ZWL 674

$37.24 ZWL 989

-31.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.14 ZWL 535

$39.98 ZWL 1,062

-49.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 ZWL 9,454

$393 ZWL 10.4K

-9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 ZWL 6,547

$355 ZWL 9,422

-30.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 ZWL 19.8K

$997 ZWL 26.5K

-25.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$867 ZWL 23.0K

-54.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$254 ZWL 6,756

$939 ZWL 24.9K

-72.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$394 ZWL 10.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 ZWL 6,733

$405 ZWL 10.8K

-37.42%

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 Mutare: November 1, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mutare

$247 31.6%

Harare

$355 33% 43.9% $108

Groceries & Markets

Mutare

$155 19.8%

Harare

$215 20% 39% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mutare

$125 16%

Harare

$144 13.4% 15.3% $19

Eating Out

Mutare

$121 15.5%

Harare

$167 15.5% 37.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mutare

$60 7.7%

Harare

$65 6.1% 8.1% $4.9

Getting Around

Mutare

$43 5.6%

Harare

$77 7.2% 77.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Mutare

$29 3.8%

Harare

$53 5% 82.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $356 in Mutare and $393 in Harare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harare pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Mutare vs $45 in Harare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $215 per month, with Mutare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Mutare

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

Same time as Mutare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,243

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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Mutare Harare 210 km

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Mutare
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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

Mutare vs Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mutare is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Mutare. 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: $356 in Mutare versus $393 in Harare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Harare. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $780 per month in Mutare versus $1,076 in Harare – Mutare is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $780 in Mutare versus $1,076 in Harare, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mutare but tight or insufficient in Harare. The gap between the two cities makes Mutare 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mutare wins on affordability, Harare on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.