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

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 1.3% cheaper than Zimbabwe without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 1% cheaper than Zimbabwe without rent, and 13.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R 142
$7.17 ZWL 180
21.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$50.7 ZWL 1,277
-22.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.1
$5.98 ZWL 151
-13.71%
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.09
$2.69 ZWL 67.6
-24.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.83
$0.73 ZWL 18.41
41.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.83
$0.45 ZWL 11.26
75.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.53
$1.47 ZWL 36.93
56.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.59
$1.99 ZWL 50.1
28.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.16
$1.52 ZWL 38.30
-26.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.92
$1.01 ZWL 25.49
2.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.17
$1.90 ZWL 47.86
-18.95%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.56
$2.09 ZWL 52.5
7.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$10.12 ZWL 255
-22.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$5.82 ZWL 147
-18.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 108
$5.66 ZWL 142
17.49%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.66
$2.69 ZWL 67.8
-43.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.93
$1.82 ZWL 45.90
-22.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.31
$2.14 ZWL 53.8
-30.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.47
$1.59 ZWL 40.04
-1.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.47
$1.52 ZWL 38.32
-21.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.13
$1.82 ZWL 45.86
-28.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.99
$1.05 ZWL 26.39
-0.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$1.03 ZWL 26.02
-6.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.67
$1.31 ZWL 33.08
122.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
$6.80 ZWL 171
-29.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.75
$1.19 ZWL 30.08
11.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.08
$1.78 ZWL 44.82
-3.37%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.72
$0.97 ZWL 24.52
75.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
$29.42 ZWL 741
53.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.81
$5.04 ZWL 127
-78.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.13
$2.04 ZWL 51.4
-48.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.1
$4.87 ZWL 123
-2.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.10
$1.62 ZWL 40.82
-20.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.2K
$23.9K ZWL 600.7K
-11.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.2K
$24.8K ZWL 624.9K
-5.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,818
$53.3 ZWL 1,342
109.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$17.23 ZWL 434
85.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$89.8 ZWL 2,261
-55.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$46.31 ZWL 1,166
-31.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
$10.79 ZWL 272
-10.29%
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
$10.06 ZWL 253
-34.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,100
$221 ZWL 5,567
-13.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
$8,190 ZWL 206.2K
-47.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
$18.90 ZWL 476
156.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
$19.08 ZWL 481
59.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,536
$37.54 ZWL 945
151.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,327
$42.87 ZWL 1,079
89.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,380
$335 ZWL 8,424
35.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$224 ZWL 5,651
65.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$797 ZWL 20.1K
10.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$540 ZWL 13.6K
30.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$853 ZWL 21.5K
34.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$391 ZWL 9,834
109.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$342 ZWL 8,619
331.30%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: April 14, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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