Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and Egypt

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $864 in Zimbabwe, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Zimbabwe
Egypt
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$864
/mo nomad
🇪🇬 Egypt
$449
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zimbabwe and in Egypt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $864 in Zimbabwe versus $449 in Egypt.

  • Zimbabwe $864
  • Egypt $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Zimbabwe versus $733 in Egypt.

  • Zimbabwe $1,423
  • Egypt $733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,981 in Zimbabwe versus $1,017 in Egypt.

  • Zimbabwe $1,981
  • Egypt $1,017

Zimbabwe ($579–$1,065) and Egypt ($295–$677) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Zimbabwe is roughly 93% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zimbabwe 36% lower, Egypt 67% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.28 ZWL 167
$3.46 E£193
81.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.61 ZWL 1,079
$17.81 E£992
128.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ZWL 147
$4.51 E£251
23.06%
Cappuccino
$2.58 ZWL 68.6
$1.38 E£77.1
86.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ZWL 19.55
$0.34 E£18.69
117.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ZWL 12.74
$0.14 E£7.63
242.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 ZWL 39.04
$1.37 E£76.2
7.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ZWL 52.5
$2.70 E£151
-26.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ZWL 39.69
$0.79 E£43.95
88.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 ZWL 27.22
$0.68 E£37.92
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 ZWL 40.46
$0.60 E£33.21
153.33%
Eggs
$1.89 ZWL 50.3
$1.18 E£65.5
60.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.84 ZWL 261
$3.18 E£177
209.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.97 ZWL 132
$3.91 E£218
27.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.60 ZWL 149
$7.74 E£431
-27.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 ZWL 72.3
$1.45 E£80.8
87.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ZWL 45.89
$0.67 E£37.08
158.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ZWL 52.4
$0.49 E£27.15
302.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 ZWL 36.02
$0.35 E£19.77
288.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 ZWL 42.97
$0.36 E£20.14
350.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 ZWL 41.56
$0.35 E£19.66
345.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ZWL 30.54
$0.28 E£15.67
310.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ZWL 26.30
$0.19 E£10.36
421.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.05 ZWL 54.4
$1.83 E£102
12.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.92 ZWL 184
$6.19 E£345
11.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 ZWL 32.88
$1.30 E£72.2
-4.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 ZWL 51.0
$1.87 E£104
2.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 ZWL 26.06
$0.28 E£15.62
250.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.26 ZWL 1,043
$7.24 E£404
442.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 ZWL 77.7
$0.37 E£20.76
689.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.97 ZWL 52.3
$0.26 E£14.46
657.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 ZWL 134
$1.82 E£102
176.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.78 ZWL 47.24
$0.40 E£22.19
345.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K ZWL 659.1K
$29.9K E£1.7M
-16.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K ZWL 729.4K
$24.0K E£1.3M
14.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.2 ZWL 1,361
$20.40 E£1,137
151.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.70 ZWL 497
$6.78 E£378
175.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.0 ZWL 1,860
$12.41 E£691
464.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.11 ZWL 1,119
$17.00 E£948
147.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.29 ZWL 539
$6.36 E£354
219.03%
Cinema Ticket
$10.07 ZWL 267
$2.93 E£164
243.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$287 ZWL 7,613
$94.2 E£5,249
204.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,672 ZWL 203.8K
$2,362 E£131.6K
224.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.37 ZWL 515
$25.33 E£1,412
-23.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.62 ZWL 468
$41.23 E£2,298
-57.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$40.22 ZWL 1,069
$105 E£5,850
-61.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.91 ZWL 1,140
$47.95 E£2,672
-10.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$299 ZWL 7,942
$140 E£7,793
113.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ZWL 6,409
$88.9 E£4,953
171.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$736 ZWL 19.6K
$282 E£15.7K
160.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$557 ZWL 14.8K
$179 E£9,979
211.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$924 ZWL 24.6K
$683 E£38.1K
35.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$397 ZWL 10.6K
$432 E£24.1K
-7.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$369 ZWL 9,804
$141 E£7,866
161.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.77
17.11
-19.52%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
$241
Egypt
$89 63.2% $152
Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
$197
Egypt
$117 40.7% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
$140
Egypt
$40 71.7% $100
Eating Out
Zimbabwe
$114
Egypt
$72 36.9% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
$62
Egypt
$23 63.3% $39
Getting Around
Zimbabwe
$56
Egypt
$10 82.1% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
$54
Egypt
$99 82.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $240 in Zimbabwe, $136 in Egypt. Capital cities: $399 in Harare vs $203 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $363 in Zimbabwe, $129 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in Zimbabwe.

Dining out costs 169% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 414% more expensive in Zimbabwe.

Salaries are about 2.8 times higher in Zimbabwe, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Zimbabwe.

Good to know
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
🇪🇬 Egypt
🕒 Local time
06:53 6:53 AM
06:53 6:53 AM
Same time as Zimbabwe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,178,979
114,535,772
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.73 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.23 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zimbabwe Egypt 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zimbabwe
  • Egypt

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 Egypt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Egypt and Zimbabwe?
At $449 per month in Egypt and $864 in Zimbabwe, Egypt comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Egypt: 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.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $240 in Zimbabwe and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget in Egypt or in Zimbabwe?
In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Zimbabwe it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Egypt or to Zimbabwe?
It depends on what you’re after: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

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