Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $864 in Zimbabwe, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
Learn more

Zimbabwe Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zimbabwe and in China

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 China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $864 in Zimbabwe versus $791 in China.

Zimbabwe $864
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Zimbabwe versus $1,251 in China.

Zimbabwe $1,423
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,981 in Zimbabwe versus $1,711 in China.

Zimbabwe $1,981
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $579–$1,065 in Zimbabwe. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Zimbabwe is roughly 9% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zimbabwe 36% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.28 ZWL 167

$2.98 ¥19.78

110.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

$22.09 ¥147

83.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ZWL 147

$5.20 ¥34.55

6.73%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

$2.97 ¥19.71

-13.13%

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

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

$0.48 ¥3.18

54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

$0.30 ¥2.00

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

$1.08 ¥7.17

36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$2.28 ¥15.13

-13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

$1.80 ¥11.94

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

$1.68 ¥11.13

-39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

$0.92 ¥6.13

65.22%

Eggs

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

$1.61 ¥10.72

17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 ZWL 261

$13.38 ¥88.9

-26.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 ZWL 132

$3.35 ¥22.25

48.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.60 ZWL 149

$11.35 ¥75.4

-50.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

$1.82 ¥12.11

49.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

$1.31 ¥8.68

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$1.49 ¥9.88

32.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

$1.27 ¥8.46

7.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

$0.71 ¥4.73

128.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

$0.93 ¥6.20

67.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

$0.62 ¥4.11

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

$0.56 ¥3.73

76.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

$3.78 ¥25.12

-45.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.92 ZWL 184

$12.13 ¥80.6

-42.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

$0.83 ¥5.53

49.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

$1.68 ¥11.19

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

$0.29 ¥1.91

237.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

$17.83 ¥118

120.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

$1.49 ¥9.88

95.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$0.37 ¥2.49

432.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 134

$7.10 ¥47.17

-29.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$1.26 ¥8.36

41.27%

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

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

27.58%

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

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

56.53%

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

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

$54.6 ¥363

-6.09%

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

$18.70 ZWL 497

$8.73 ¥58.0

114.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

$11.07 ¥73.5

532.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

$40.77 ¥271

3.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 ZWL 539

$14.48 ¥96.2

40.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ZWL 267

$6.78 ¥45.05

48.53%

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

$287 ZWL 7,613

$517 ¥3,433

-44.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-61.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.37 ZWL 515

$46.53 ¥309

-58.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.62 ZWL 468

$35.66 ¥237

-50.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

$77.0 ¥512

-47.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

$80.3 ¥533

-46.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ZWL 7,942

$386 ¥2,564

-22.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ZWL 6,409

$235 ¥1,558

2.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ZWL 19.6K

$822 ¥5,461

-10.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$453 ¥3,011

23.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$924 ZWL 24.6K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-80.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$397 ZWL 10.6K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-83.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$369 ZWL 9,804

$1,093 ¥7,264

-66.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.77

3.46

297.98%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9%

China

$235 29.6% 2.8% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8%

China

$210 26.5% 6.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2%

China

$74 9.4% 46.9% $66

Eating Out

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2%

China

$88 11.1% 22.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2%

China

$54 6.9% 12.7% $7.9

Getting Around

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5%

China

$22 2.8% 60.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3%

China

$108 13.6% 99.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $240 in Zimbabwe, $298 in China. Capital cities: $399 in Harare vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $363 in Zimbabwe, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 24% higher in China.

Dining out costs 95% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 100% more expensive in Zimbabwe.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

6 h ahead of Zimbabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,178,979

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 = 29.67 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zimbabwe China 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Zimbabwe
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $864 in Zimbabwe, China comes out about 8% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

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