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Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zimbabwe Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zimbabwe

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 0.1% more expensive than Zimbabwe without rent, and 22.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 0.1% cheaper than Zimbabwe without rent, and 12.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.84 R 145
$6.88 ZWL 176
28.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.50 R 631
$49.29 ZWL 1,262
-21.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.07 R 83.2
$5.89 ZWL 151
-13.92%
Cappuccino
$2.04 R 33.40
$2.71 ZWL 69.5
-24.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 17.02
$0.68 ZWL 17.38
52.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 12.08
$0.49 ZWL 12.44
51.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.31 R 37.83
$1.48 ZWL 38.01
56.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 R 40.57
$2.03 ZWL 52.1
21.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 17.55
$1.52 ZWL 38.88
-29.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 R 16.51
$1.02 ZWL 26.07
-0.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.79
$1.88 ZWL 48.22
-16.49%
Eggs
$2.33 R 38.26
$2.16 ZWL 55.4
7.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.68 R 126
$10.45 ZWL 268
-26.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.47 R 73.4
$5.82 ZWL 149
-23.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.60 R 108
$5.84 ZWL 150
13.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.55
$2.72 ZWL 69.6
-42.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 R 23.80
$1.73 ZWL 44.35
-16.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.79
$2.13 ZWL 54.5
-29.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.39
$1.61 ZWL 41.15
-7.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 R 19.91
$1.58 ZWL 40.37
-23.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 R 21.80
$1.84 ZWL 47.09
-27.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 17.70
$1.09 ZWL 27.97
-0.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.34
$1.04 ZWL 26.70
-9.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.85 R 46.74
$1.37 ZWL 34.99
108.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.89 R 80.3
$7.03 ZWL 180
-30.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 22.64
$1.13 ZWL 28.92
22.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 R 27.65
$1.81 ZWL 46.24
-6.63%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.73 R 28.33
$1.01 ZWL 25.91
71.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.33 R 743
$30.49 ZWL 781
48.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 R 18.01
$5.04 ZWL 129
-78.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 R 18.03
$1.96 ZWL 50.1
-43.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.69 R 76.9
$5.15 ZWL 132
-8.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.32
$1.60 ZWL 41.01
-18.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K R 337.3K
$23.2K ZWL 594.2K
-11.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 396.4K
$24.7K ZWL 632.6K
-2.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 R 1,811
$54.4 ZWL 1,393
103.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.07 R 526
$17.78 ZWL 455
80.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.81 R 669
$90.6 ZWL 2,320
-54.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.33 R 514
$47.66 ZWL 1,221
-34.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.44 R 155
$10.93 ZWL 280
-13.63%
Cinema Ticket
$6.90 R 113
$10.13 ZWL 259
-31.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$187 R 3,074
$220 ZWL 5,638
-14.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,385 R 71.9K
$8,067 ZWL 206.6K
-45.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.70 R 815
$18.97 ZWL 486
161.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.23 R 512
$18.99 ZWL 486
64.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.0 R 1,526
$36.84 ZWL 943
152.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 R 1,307
$42.04 ZWL 1,077
89.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$443 R 7,265
$340 ZWL 8,706
30.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$369 R 6,048
$230 ZWL 5,898
60.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$890 R 14.6K
$814 ZWL 20.8K
9.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 11.9K
$535 ZWL 13.7K
35.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,125 R 18.5K
$836 ZWL 21.4K
34.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$823 R 13.5K
$383 ZWL 9,812
114.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,486 R 24.4K
$350 ZWL 8,952
325.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
13.5
-14.44%

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

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: January 13, 2026

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