Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe

Name: Zimbabwe
Address: ZW

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimbabwe: $864 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
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Zimbabwe Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Zimbabwe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $864 in Zimbabwe.

United Kingdom $2,462
Zimbabwe $864

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,423 in Zimbabwe.

United Kingdom $3,600
Zimbabwe $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $1,981 in Zimbabwe.

United Kingdom $4,738
Zimbabwe $1,981

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $579–$1,065 in Zimbabwe. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 185% more expensive than in Zimbabwe on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Zimbabwe (36% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.02

$6.28 ZWL 167

242.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £63.9

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

111.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.91

$5.55 ZWL 147

91.17%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.66

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

90.31%

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

$2.66 £1.98

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

259.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

289.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.94

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

351.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

245.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

68.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

42.76%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

111.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.02

$9.84 ZWL 261

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.85

$4.97 ZWL 132

84.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.01

$5.60 ZWL 149

163.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

9.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

44.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

158.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

12.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

3.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

67.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.63

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

1053.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.83

$6.92 ZWL 184

51.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

140.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

82.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

306.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

173.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

77.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

19.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.01

$5.04 ZWL 134

432.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

11.80%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

59.02%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

47.48%

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

$327 £244

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

538.52%

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

$18.21 £13.58

$18.70 ZWL 497

-2.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.51

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

-37.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.58

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

0.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.58

$20.29 ZWL 539

-10.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.32

$10.07 ZWL 267

37.54%

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

$1,868 £1,393

$287 ZWL 7,613

551.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

194.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.3

$19.37 ZWL 515

379.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.24

$17.62 ZWL 468

160.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

152.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.2

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

138.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,001

$299 ZWL 7,942

349.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £800

$241 ZWL 6,409

344.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,664

$736 ZWL 19.6K

203.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,299

$557 ZWL 14.8K

212.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,176

$924 ZWL 24.6K

506.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,180

$397 ZWL 10.6K

973.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,497

$369 ZWL 9,804

807.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

13.77

-61.37%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: 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

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9% 77.5% $832

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2% 64% $249

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2% 65.2% $214

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8% 35.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3% 64.9% $100

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5% 60.1% $84

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2% 11.1% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $240 in Zimbabwe. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $399 in Harare.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $363 in Zimbabwe. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 436% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 93% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 181% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 9 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

15,178,979

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Zimbabwe 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

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

At $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom and $864 in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe comes out about 65% cheaper. 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 cheaper in Zimbabwe: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $240 in Zimbabwe. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Zimbabwe wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.