Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and India Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and India

Name: India
Address: IN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $491 in Zimbabwe versus $388 in India.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $821 in Zimbabwe versus $617 in India.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,151 in Zimbabwe versus $846 in India.

Living in Zimbabwe is roughly 27% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zimbabwe 63% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.10 ZWL 190

$2.53 ₹244

180.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 ZWL 1,359

$13.73 ₹1,322

270.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 ZWL 162

$4.00 ₹385

51.50%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ZWL 71.7

$1.91 ₹184

40.84%

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

$0.73 ZWL 19.36

$0.43 ₹41.85

69.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZWL 12.99

$0.17 ₹16.11

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.29

$1.93 ₹186

-23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ZWL 52.4

$3.54 ₹341

-44.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ZWL 42.02

$0.73 ₹69.9

115.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 ZWL 27.38

$0.52 ₹50.1

98.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 ZWL 48.77

$0.73 ₹69.9

150.68%

Eggs

$2.05 ZWL 54.8

$0.95 ₹91.4

115.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZWL 272

$5.32 ₹512

91.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 ZWL 147

$3.10 ₹299

77.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.84 ZWL 156

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ZWL 70.6

$2.16 ₹208

22.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ZWL 45.84

$0.70 ₹67.7

145.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ZWL 55.1

$1.05 ₹101

97.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.97

$0.53 ₹50.8

203.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.64

$0.39 ₹37.66

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 48.15

$0.48 ₹46.64

275.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ZWL 29.02

$0.52 ₹49.78

109.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ZWL 28.74

$0.36 ₹34.33

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ZWL 36.83

$4.02 ₹387

-65.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 ZWL 182

$7.28 ₹701

-6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ZWL 30.56

$1.90 ₹183

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ZWL 47.65

$3.03 ₹292

-40.92%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.84 ₹562

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZWL 27.00

$0.36 ₹34.66

180.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.60 ZWL 790

$9.84 ₹948

200.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ZWL 137

$0.95 ₹91.8

441.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ZWL 53.8

$0.30 ₹29.03

573.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZWL 137

$1.79 ₹172

186.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ZWL 43.12

$1.21 ₹117

33.88%

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

$23.1K ZWL 616.7K

$13.9K ₹1.3M

66.87%

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

$24.4K ZWL 650.7K

$22.4K ₹2.2M

8.67%

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

$53.8 ZWL 1,435

$40.16 ₹3,867

33.96%

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

$17.22 ZWL 459

$3.76 ₹362

357.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.0 ZWL 2,401

$8.04 ₹774

1019.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 ZWL 1,261

$16.25 ₹1,565

190.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.08 ZWL 295

$7.56 ₹728

46.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 ZWL 270

$3.43 ₹330

195.34%

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

$225 ZWL 5,995

$69.7 ₹6,713

222.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,093 ZWL 215.9K

$1,852 ₹178.3K

337.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.09 ZWL 509

$25.59 ₹2,463

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.59 ZWL 523

$26.30 ₹2,532

-25.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.25 ZWL 994

$44.89 ₹4,322

-17.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.76 ZWL 1,114

$33.20 ₹3,197

25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ZWL 8,862

$174 ₹16.8K

90.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ZWL 6,115

$112 ₹10.8K

103.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ZWL 21.6K

$405 ₹39.0K

100.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 ZWL 14.6K

$258 ₹24.8K

111.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$936 ZWL 25.0K

$1,263 ₹121.6K

-25.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$395 ZWL 10.5K

$653 ₹62.8K

-39.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ZWL 9,090

$424 ₹40.8K

-19.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.5

9.02

49.67%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: July 12, 2026

Last update for India: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $105 in Zimbabwe, $127 in India. Capital cities: $398 in Harare vs $242 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $355 in Zimbabwe, $398 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 21% higher in India.

Dining out costs 191% more in Zimbabwe.

Salaries are 12% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $589 per month in India and $495 in Zimbabwe, there's a 19% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Zimbabwe: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in India is consistently higher than in Zimbabwe across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Zimbabwe, $800 covers most cities easily; in India it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Zimbabwe wins on affordability; India may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.