Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Harare Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Harare

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Southwark versus $990 in Harare.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,793 in Southwark versus $1,688 in Harare.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,170 in Southwark versus $2,385 in Harare.

Living in Southwark is roughly 144% more expensive than in Harare, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Southwark is 81% above, Harare is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.79 £16.20

$9.92 ZWL 265

119.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £64.4

$49.31 ZWL 1,316

75.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.02

$7.09 ZWL 189

52.05%

Cappuccino

$5.29 £3.94

$2.96 ZWL 78.9

78.72%

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

$2.82 £2.10

$0.70 ZWL 18.70

302.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.38

$0.46 ZWL 12.36

302.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 £5.10

$1.53 ZWL 40.70

348.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 £5.18

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

239.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.57 ZWL 42.01

11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 £1.66

$0.97 ZWL 25.93

130.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 £1.66

$1.86 ZWL 49.50

20.43%

Eggs

$3.73 £2.77

$2.10 ZWL 55.9

77.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 £6.19

$10.83 ZWL 289

-23.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 £6.19

$6.23 ZWL 166

33.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 £9.96

$6.21 ZWL 166

115.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 £2.55

$2.87 ZWL 76.6

19.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.69 ZWL 45.01

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.26

$2.17 ZWL 57.9

39.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 £2.09

$1.70 ZWL 45.39

65.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.55 ZWL 41.36

12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$2.00 ZWL 53.3

-21.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.92

$1.03 ZWL 27.49

20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.07

$0.95 ZWL 25.31

52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.16 £15.73

$1.08 ZWL 28.83

1859.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 £8.98

$9.32 ZWL 249

29.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.04

$1.12 ZWL 29.98

145.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 £1.88

$1.71 ZWL 45.70

47.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.98 ZWL 26.27

245.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$160 £119

$41.84 ZWL 1,116

282.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 £3.96

$4.98 ZWL 133

6.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 £1.55

$1.98 ZWL 52.9

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.74 £22.11

$5.03 ZWL 134

491.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.55 ZWL 41.37

25.81%

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

$39.0K £29.0K

$19.9K ZWL 531.5K

95.88%

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

$38.9K £28.9K

$23.0K ZWL 613.8K

69.14%

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

$332 £247

$58.0 ZWL 1,547

471.96%

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

$19.28 £14.33

$17.53 ZWL 468

9.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.92 £25.96

$92.1 ZWL 2,456

-62.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 £33.46

$54.1 ZWL 1,442

-16.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.23 ZWL 380

Cinema Ticket

$20.34 £15.12

$10.11 ZWL 270

101.19%

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

$2,528 £1,879

$277 ZWL 7,384

813.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K £16.9K

$7,215 ZWL 192.5K

214.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 £84.3

$19.55 ZWL 522

480.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.98 £30.46

$21.55 ZWL 575

90.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 £65.1

$35.11 ZWL 937

149.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 £73.3

$40.98 ZWL 1,093

140.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 £1,770

$398 ZWL 10.6K

499.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 £751

$279 ZWL 7,436

262.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 £1,485

$954 ZWL 25.5K

109.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,905 £2,903

$695 ZWL 18.5K

461.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$934 ZWL 24.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$390 ZWL 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,164 £3,096

$400 ZWL 10.7K

941.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

13.31

-59.05%

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

Last update for Southwark: July 12, 2026

Last update for Harare: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,382 in Southwark and $398 in Harare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southwark pays 941% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $87.0 in Southwark vs $49.00 in Harare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $217 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

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

Southwark vs Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Getting Around, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 144% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 941% higher in Southwark, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,382 in Southwark versus $398 in Harare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,528 in Southwark versus $277 in Harare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Southwark. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $990 in Harare versus $2,416 in Southwark, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Southwark. The gap between the two cities makes Harare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Harare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Southwark, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Southwark. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.