Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Zimbabwe Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Zimbabwe

Name: Zimbabwe
Address: ZW

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,401 in United Kingdom versus $487 in Zimbabwe.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,517 in United Kingdom versus $803 in Zimbabwe.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,632 in United Kingdom versus $1,119 in Zimbabwe.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 393% more expensive than in Zimbabwe on average.

United Kingdom (76% above) and Zimbabwe (64% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.78 £16.28

$6.51 ZWL 174

234.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 £64.8

$38.17 ZWL 1,023

127.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 £8.22

$6.17 ZWL 165

78.28%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.58

$2.63 ZWL 70.6

82.13%

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

$2.60 £1.94

$0.73 ZWL 19.65

256.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.52 ZWL 13.98

251.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 £4.93

$1.49 ZWL 39.83

342.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 £5.10

$2.05 ZWL 54.9

233.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.51 ZWL 40.45

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.29

$0.98 ZWL 26.13

76.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 £1.69

$1.50 ZWL 40.15

50.67%

Eggs

$4.12 £3.08

$1.89 ZWL 50.5

117.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 £7.11

$10.05 ZWL 269

-5.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$4.82 ZWL 129

95.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 £11.08

$5.86 ZWL 157

153.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$2.77 ZWL 74.1

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.71 ZWL 45.70

-1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.15

$1.98 ZWL 53.0

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.51

$1.37 ZWL 36.81

145.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.56 ZWL 41.69

18.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.60 ZWL 42.77

-1.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.16 ZWL 30.99

8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.07 ZWL 28.56

58.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.75 £17.75

$2.01 ZWL 54.0

1081.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 £8.18

$7.15 ZWL 191

53.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.21

$1.30 ZWL 34.84

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.58

$1.96 ZWL 52.6

76.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 £2.50

$0.97 ZWL 26.12

244.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £78.9

$45.40 ZWL 1,216

132.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 £4.06

$2.97 ZWL 79.6

83.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.06 ZWL 55.1

11.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.80 £20.03

$5.06 ZWL 136

429.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.76 ZWL 47.20

11.36%

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

$39.2K £29.3K

$24.5K ZWL 657.6K

59.62%

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

$40.9K £30.6K

$27.3K ZWL 732.3K

49.63%

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

$328 £245

$52.9 ZWL 1,418

519.46%

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

$18.19 £13.60

$18.34 ZWL 491

-0.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.01 £32.14

$67.4 ZWL 1,807

-36.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 £34.70

$42.60 ZWL 1,141

9.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 £13.56

$20.14 ZWL 540

-9.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.61 £10.17

$9.88 ZWL 265

37.75%

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

$1,773 £1,325

$329 ZWL 8,821

438.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K £17.5K

$8,311 ZWL 222.7K

181.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 £69.3

$19.78 ZWL 530

368.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.67 £34.88

$18.25 ZWL 489

155.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £76.9

$40.70 ZWL 1,090

152.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £75.7

$43.94 ZWL 1,177

130.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 £1,025

$288 ZWL 7,726

375.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 £830

$230 ZWL 6,159

383.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 £1,648

$634 ZWL 17.0K

247.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,808 £1,351

$519 ZWL 13.9K

248.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,687 £4,250

$916 ZWL 24.5K

520.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,425 £3,307

$395 ZWL 10.6K

1020.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,419 £2,555

$359 ZWL 9,619

852.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

13.77

-61.29%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: September 13, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,274 in United Kingdom, $102 in Zimbabwe. Capital cities: $2,976 in London vs $401 in Harare.

National salary averages: $3,281 in United Kingdom, $361 in Zimbabwe. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1149% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 211% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 856% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 809% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Kingdom.

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

United Kingdom vs Zimbabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,612 per month in United Kingdom and $528 in Zimbabwe, there's a 395% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Zimbabwe: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom is consistently higher than in Zimbabwe across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Zimbabwe, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Zimbabwe wins on affordability; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.