Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zimbabwe

Name: Zimbabwe
Address: ZW

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimbabwe: $864 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
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Zimbabwe Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Zimbabwe

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $864 in Zimbabwe, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Zimbabwe $864

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $1,423 in Zimbabwe, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Zimbabwe $1,423

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $1,981 in Zimbabwe, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Zimbabwe $1,981

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Zimbabwe ($579–$1,065), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 39% higher than in Zimbabwe on average.

Both South Africa and Zimbabwe are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Zimbabwe 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 178

$6.28 ZWL 167

69.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 695

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

2.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.8

$5.55 ZWL 147

4.50%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.36

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

-8.53%

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

$1.12 R 18.62

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.05

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.33

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

64.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 51.1

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

54.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.65

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

-20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.89

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

10.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

14.47%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.94

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

35.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 141

$9.84 ZWL 261

-14.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.4

$4.97 ZWL 132

3.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 127

$5.60 ZWL 149

35.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.62

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

-34.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.99

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.53

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

-10.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.36

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.89

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

-8.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.46

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.59

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.31

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.2

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

58.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.5

$6.92 ZWL 184

-27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.99

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

20.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.37

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

1.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.67

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

51.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 990

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

50.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.27

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

-62.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.52

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

-49.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 125

$5.04 ZWL 134

48.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.84

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

-19.66%

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

$35.3K R 589.3K

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

42.31%

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

$32.4K R 541.5K

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

18.16%

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

$133 R 2,216

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

159.06%

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

$34.83 R 581

$18.70 ZWL 497

86.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 664

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

-43.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 552

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

-21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$20.29 ZWL 539

-42.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 120

$10.07 ZWL 267

-28.70%

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

$224 R 3,741

$287 ZWL 7,613

-21.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 91.2K

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

-28.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 905

$19.37 ZWL 515

179.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 570

$17.62 ZWL 468

93.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,704

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

153.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,477

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

106.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,216

$299 ZWL 7,942

64.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,640

$241 ZWL 6,409

64.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.8K

$736 ZWL 19.6K

28.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$557 ZWL 14.8K

48.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$924 ZWL 24.6K

18.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$397 ZWL 10.6K

93.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.1K

$369 ZWL 9,804

306.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

13.77

-18.45%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9% 39.4% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2% 32.5% $67

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8% 0.5% $1

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2% 27.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3% 56.9% $71

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5% 21.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2% 31.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $240 in Zimbabwe. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $399 in Harare.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $363 in Zimbabwe. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 10% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 69% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.1 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

15,178,979

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.65 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Zimbabwe 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Zimbabwe

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

South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zimbabwe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 28% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $422 versus $240 in Zimbabwe.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zimbabwe, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Zimbabwe is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.