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: $2,363 in United Kingdom versus $489 in Zimbabwe.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in United Kingdom versus $817 in Zimbabwe.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,585 in United Kingdom versus $1,145 in Zimbabwe.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 383% more expensive than Zimbabwe on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.41 £15.17

$7.15 ZWL 192

185.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.0 £64.7

$50.0 ZWL 1,343

73.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 £7.53

$6.18 ZWL 166

63.92%

Cappuccino

$4.70 £3.49

$2.78 ZWL 74.7

69.06%

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

$2.36 £1.75

$0.72 ZWL 19.45

227.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.30

$0.45 ZWL 12.11

291.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 £4.95

$1.53 ZWL 40.96

335.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.78

$2.05 ZWL 55.1

213.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.55 ZWL 41.50

9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.21

$0.97 ZWL 26.10

68.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 £1.70

$1.81 ZWL 48.71

26.52%

Eggs

$4.03 £2.99

$2.16 ZWL 58.0

86.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 £7.26

$10.37 ZWL 278

-5.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 £6.63

$5.77 ZWL 155

54.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 £10.64

$5.86 ZWL 157

144.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.26

$2.62 ZWL 70.4

16.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$1.80 ZWL 48.32

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.11

$2.13 ZWL 57.2

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$1.59 ZWL 42.71

122.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$1.59 ZWL 42.77

1.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.84 ZWL 49.32

-14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.87

$1.04 ZWL 28.03

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.07 ZWL 28.77

45.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.03 £14.89

$1.36 ZWL 36.61

1372.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 £8.10

$6.86 ZWL 184

58.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.16

$1.17 ZWL 31.45

147.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.51

$1.79 ZWL 47.96

88.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 £2.35

$0.99 ZWL 26.54

220.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 £70.8

$29.96 ZWL 804

217.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.05

$4.92 ZWL 132

10.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 £1.18

$2.06 ZWL 55.2

-22.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.31 £20.30

$5.14 ZWL 138

431.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.62 ZWL 43.51

22.84%

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

$37.8K £28.1K

$23.7K ZWL 637.3K

59.08%

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

$40.2K £29.9K

$24.3K ZWL 652.1K

65.37%

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

$323 £240

$53.9 ZWL 1,448

498.22%

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

$17.22 £12.80

$17.47 ZWL 469

-1.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.23 £31.39

$89.7 ZWL 2,407

-52.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 £34.21

$47.55 ZWL 1,277

-3.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 £11.65

$10.72 ZWL 288

46.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 £10.02

$9.99 ZWL 268

34.93%

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

$1,713 £1,274

$222 ZWL 5,966

671.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K £15.5K

$8,138 ZWL 218.5K

155.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 £67.8

$18.67 ZWL 501

388.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.88 £33.36

$19.11 ZWL 513

134.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$36.68 ZWL 985

178.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.3

$42.38 ZWL 1,138

145.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 £1,053

$336 ZWL 9,020

321.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 £841

$224 ZWL 6,017

404.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 £1,715

$818 ZWL 22.0K

182.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,839 £1,367

$535 ZWL 14.4K

243.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,727 £4,257

$857 ZWL 23.0K

567.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,523 £3,362

$383 ZWL 10.3K

1081.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 £2,477

$344 ZWL 9,233

869.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

13.5

-57.41%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: May 30, 2026

Last update for Zimbabwe: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,265 in United Kingdom, $105 in Zimbabwe. Capital cities: $3,019 in London vs $403 in Harare.

National salary averages: $3,219 in United Kingdom, $356 in Zimbabwe. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1105% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 163% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 933% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 804% higher in United Kingdom, giving United Kingdom stronger purchasing power.

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 $2,785 per month in United Kingdom and $496 in Zimbabwe, there's a 462% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Zimbabwe is simply cheaper day-to-day: 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 beats 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, $800 covers most cities easily. In United Kingdom, it works in regional areas but 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.