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

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 0.8% cheaper than Zimbabwe without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 0.8% cheaper than Zimbabwe without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$7.02 ZWL 189
28.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$49.16 ZWL 1,326
-20.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$6.14 ZWL 166
-20.20%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$2.67 ZWL 72.1
-25.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$0.67 ZWL 18.06
43.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.49 ZWL 13.25
53.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$1.49 ZWL 40.07
46.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$2.05 ZWL 55.4
23.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$1.6 ZWL 43.1
-31.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$0.99 ZWL 26.64
4.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.85 ZWL 49.83
-15.68%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$2.13 ZWL 57.3
5.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$10.34 ZWL 279
-25.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$5.7 ZWL 154
-18.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$5.57 ZWL 150
23.16%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$2.68 ZWL 72.3
-41.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.79 ZWL 48.35
-20.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$2.07 ZWL 55.8
-30.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$1.56 ZWL 42.03
-4.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$1.59 ZWL 42.86
-21.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.84 ZWL 49.72
-27.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$1.05 ZWL 28.32
3.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$1.07 ZWL 28.92
-10.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$1.32 ZWL 35.67
119.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$6.85 ZWL 185
-25.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.18 ZWL 31.79
16.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$1.74 ZWL 46.89
-3.45%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$1.01 ZWL 27.27
69.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$30.2 ZWL 815
49.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$5.02 ZWL 135
-78.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$2.06 ZWL 55.5
-47.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$5.14 ZWL 139
-6.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.62 ZWL 43.56
-19.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$23.4K ZWL 631.1K
-10.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$24.8K ZWL 667.7K
-4.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$53.2 ZWL 1,436
112.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$17.64 ZWL 476
87.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$90.5 ZWL 2,442
-54.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$47.08 ZWL 1,270
-32.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$11 ZWL 297
-14.09%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$9.93 ZWL 268
-32.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$224 ZWL 6,042
-17.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$8,320 ZWL 224.4K
-47.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$18.89 ZWL 509
157.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$19.58 ZWL 528
57.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$36.99 ZWL 998
148.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$42.09 ZWL 1,135
89.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$334 ZWL 9,021
32.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$228 ZWL 6,156
62.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$801 ZWL 21.6K
9.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$533 ZWL 14.4K
35.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$989 ZWL 26.7K
3.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$530 ZWL 14.3K
51.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$343 ZWL 9,251
310.04%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 28, 2025

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