Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimbabwe: $864 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
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Zimbabwe Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index

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🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zimbabwe and in Canada

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zimbabwe and in Canada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $864 per month in Zimbabwe vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

Zimbabwe $864
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $1,423 per month in Zimbabwe vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

Zimbabwe $1,423
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $1,981 per month in Zimbabwe vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

Zimbabwe $1,981
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Zimbabwe ($579–$1,065), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Zimbabwe is roughly 63% lower than in Canada on average.

Zimbabwe sits 36% below the global median, while Canada is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.28 ZWL 167

$18.16 CA$25.38

-65.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

$71.2 CA$99.5

-42.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ZWL 147

$10.81 CA$15.11

-48.66%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

$3.78 CA$5.28

-31.75%

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

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

$2.11 CA$2.95

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

$1.66 CA$2.32

-71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

$5.62 CA$7.85

-73.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$5.72 CA$7.99

-65.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

$2.17 CA$3.04

-31.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

$2.60 CA$3.64

-60.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

$3.65 CA$5.10

-58.36%

Eggs

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

$3.63 CA$5.07

-47.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 ZWL 261

$10.76 CA$15.04

-8.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 ZWL 132

$11.90 CA$16.62

-58.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.60 ZWL 149

$15.42 CA$21.55

-63.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

$4.03 CA$5.63

-32.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

$1.38 CA$1.93

25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$3.88 CA$5.41

-49.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

$4.08 CA$5.70

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

$2.57 CA$3.59

-36.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

$2.48 CA$3.46

-37.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

$2.65 CA$3.70

-56.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

$1.71 CA$2.40

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

$14.32 CA$20.01

-85.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.92 ZWL 184

$13.49 CA$18.84

-48.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

$2.84 CA$3.97

-56.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

$3.30 CA$4.61

-41.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

$2.55 CA$3.57

-61.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

$71.9 CA$100

-45.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

$3.18 CA$4.44

-8.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$1.54 CA$2.15

27.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 134

$26.69 CA$37.29

-81.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$1.24 CA$1.74

43.55%

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

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

$27.9K CA$38.9K

-11.01%

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

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

30.30%

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

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

$147 CA$206

-65.23%

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

$18.70 ZWL 497

$41.80 CA$58.4

-55.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

$60.2 CA$84.1

16.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

$39.01 CA$54.5

7.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 ZWL 539

$19.06 CA$26.63

6.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ZWL 267

$11.21 CA$15.66

-10.17%

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

$287 ZWL 7,613

$721 CA$1,007

-60.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

$14.8K CA$20.7K

-48.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.37 ZWL 515

$55.3 CA$77.2

-64.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.62 ZWL 468

$38.95 CA$54.4

-54.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

$87.4 CA$122

-53.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

$101 CA$142

-57.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ZWL 7,942

$1,290 CA$1,803

-76.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ZWL 6,409

$1,130 CA$1,579

-78.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ZWL 19.6K

$2,036 CA$2,845

-63.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$1,731 CA$2,418

-67.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$924 ZWL 24.6K

$4,769 CA$6,663

-80.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$397 ZWL 10.6K

$3,730 CA$5,211

-89.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$369 ZWL 9,804

$3,070 CA$4,289

-87.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.77

4.87

182.75%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 369% $889

Groceries & Markets

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8%

Canada

$371 16.1% 88.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2%

Canada

$249 10.8% 78.2% $109

Eating Out

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2%

Canada

$278 12% 144% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2%

Canada

$61 2.7% 1.3% $0.8

Getting Around

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5%

Canada

$93 4% 66.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3%

Canada

$127 5.5% 136% $73

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $240 in Zimbabwe vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $399 in Harare and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $363 in Zimbabwe vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 421% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 49% more in Canada.

Public transport is 83% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 8.2 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

7 h behind Zimbabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,178,979

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zimbabwe Canada 12,700 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Zimbabwe
Canada

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

Zimbabwe vs Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zimbabwe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 63% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $240 in Zimbabwe.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zimbabwe – part of why living there is about 63% cheaper overall.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zimbabwe, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Zimbabwe is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.