For one person, living is cheaper in Zimbabwe: $864 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Germany actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $864 in Zimbabwe versus $2,080 in Germany.
Zimbabwe $864
Germany $2,080
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Zimbabwe versus $3,130 in Germany.
Zimbabwe $1,423
Germany $3,130
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,981 in Zimbabwe versus $4,180 in Germany.
Zimbabwe $1,981
Germany $4,180
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,337 to $2,681, compared to $579–$1,065 in Zimbabwe. City choice carries more weight in Germany.
🌍
Living in Zimbabwe costs about 58% less than in Germany on average.
📊
Zimbabwe (36% below) and Germany (53% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.28ZWL 167
$16.60€14.88
-62.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.61ZWL 1,079
$71.8€64.4
-43.46%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$5.55ZWL 147
$12.12€10.86
-54.21%
Cappuccino
$2.58ZWL 68.6
$3.96€3.55
-34.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74ZWL 19.55
$3.36€3.01
-77.98%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48ZWL 12.74
$2.89€2.59
-83.39%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.47ZWL 39.04
$5.07€4.54
-71.01%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98ZWL 52.5
$4.50€4.03
-56.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.49ZWL 39.69
$1.26€1.13
18.25%
White Bread(500g)
$1.02ZWL 27.22
$2.20€1.97
-53.64%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.52ZWL 40.46
$3.54€3.17
-57.06%
Eggs
$1.89ZWL 50.3
$3.88€3.48
-51.29%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.84ZWL 261
$14.24€12.76
-30.90%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.97ZWL 132
$11.90€10.66
-58.24%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$5.60ZWL 149
$20.68€18.53
-72.92%
Apples(1kg)
$2.72ZWL 72.3
$3.28€2.94
-17.07%
Banana(1kg)
$1.73ZWL 45.89
$2.05€1.83
-15.61%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.97ZWL 52.4
$2.31€2.07
-14.72%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.36ZWL 36.02
$4.29€3.84
-68.30%
Potato(1kg)
$1.62ZWL 42.97
$1.53€1.37
5.88%
Onion(1kg)
$1.56ZWL 41.56
$1.50€1.34
4.00%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.15ZWL 30.54
$1.64€1.47
-29.88%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99ZWL 26.30
$1.02€0.91
-2.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.05ZWL 54.4
$9.69€8.68
-78.84%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.92ZWL 184
$6.01€5.38
15.14%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24ZWL 32.88
$1.12€1.01
10.71%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92ZWL 51.0
$1.56€1.40
23.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.98ZWL 26.06
$3.85€3.45
-74.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$39.26ZWL 1,043
$69.7€62.5
-43.69%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$2.92ZWL 77.7
$5.34€4.78
-45.32%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.97ZWL 52.3
$2.81€2.52
-29.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$5.04ZWL 134
$38.83€34.80
-87.02%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.78ZWL 47.24
$2.13€1.91
-16.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8KZWL 659.1K
$32.6K€29.2K
-23.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5KZWL 729.4K
$37.7K€33.8K
-27.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$51.2ZWL 1,361
$342€307
-85.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.70ZWL 497
$24.87€22.29
-24.81%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.0ZWL 1,860
$48.49€43.45
44.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$42.11ZWL 1,119
$39.42€35.32
6.82%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.29ZWL 539
$27.47€24.62
-26.14%
Cinema Ticket
$10.07ZWL 267
$14.65€13.13
-31.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$287ZWL 7,613
$611€547
-53.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,672ZWL 203.8K
$17.3K€15.5K
-55.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.37ZWL 515
$89.1€79.8
-78.25%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.62ZWL 468
$42.07€37.70
-58.12%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$40.22ZWL 1,069
$98.3€88.1
-59.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.91ZWL 1,140
$131€117
-67.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$299ZWL 7,942
$934€837
-68.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$241ZWL 6,409
$718€644
-66.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$736ZWL 19.6K
$1,704€1,527
-56.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$557ZWL 14.8K
$1,294€1,159
-56.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$924ZWL 24.6K
$5,944€5,326
-84.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$397ZWL 10.6K
$3,958€3,547
-89.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zimbabwe
Germany
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$369ZWL 9,804
$3,290€2,948
-88.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
13.77
3.96
247.73%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026
Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
$241 27.9%
Germany
$718 34.6% ↑ 198%$477
🛒Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
$197 22.8%
Germany
$335 16.1% ↑ 70%$138
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
$140 16.2%
Germany
$415 20% ↑ 197%$276
🍽Eating Out
Zimbabwe
$114 13.2%
Germany
$276 13.3% ↑ 142%$162
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
$62 7.2%
Germany
$69 3.3% ↑ 10.4%$6.5
🚌Getting Around
Zimbabwe
$56 6.5%
Germany
$104 5% ↑ 86.7%$49
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
$54 6.3%
Germany
$162 7.8% ↑ 200%$108
🏠Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
$557 28.1%
Germany
$1.3K 31% ↑ 132%$736
🛒Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
$454 22.9%
Germany
$795 19% ↑ 75.3%$341
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
$159 8%
Germany
$440 10.5% ↑ 178%$282
🍽Eating Out
Zimbabwe
$433 21.8%
Germany
$910 21.8% ↑ 110%$477
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
$145 7.3%
Germany
$165 4% ↑ 13.9%$20
🚌Getting Around
Zimbabwe
$114 5.8%
Germany
$217 5.2% ↑ 90.2%$103
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
$120 6.1%
Germany
$360 8.6% ↑ 200%$240
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $240 in Zimbabwe, $812 in Germany. Capital cities: $399 in Harare vs $1,407 in Berlin.
💰National salary averages: $363 in Zimbabwe, $3,107 in Germany. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 238% higher in Germany.
⭐Dining out costs 65% more in Germany.
⭐Public transport is 89% more expensive in Germany.
⭐Salaries are about 8.6 times higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.
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 Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Germany or Zimbabwe?
At $2,080 per month in Germany and $864 in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe comes out about 58% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Germany or Zimbabwe?
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.
How do rents compare between Germany and Zimbabwe?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $812 in Germany and $240 in Zimbabwe. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in Germany and in Zimbabwe?
It depends on what you’re after: Zimbabwe wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.