Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $864 in Zimbabwe, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
Learn more

Zimbabwe Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zimbabwe and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $864 in Zimbabwe versus $399 in India.

Zimbabwe $864
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Zimbabwe versus $639 in India.

Zimbabwe $1,423
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,981 in Zimbabwe versus $879 in India.

Zimbabwe $1,981
India $879

Zimbabwe ($579–$1,065) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Zimbabwe is roughly 116% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zimbabwe 36% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.28 ZWL 167

$2.14 ₹203

193.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

$10.46 ₹993

288.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ZWL 147

$3.80 ₹361

46.05%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

$1.68 ₹159

53.57%

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

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

$0.38 ₹35.93

94.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

$0.15 ₹14.58

220.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

$1.87 ₹177

-21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$3.18 ₹302

-37.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

$0.62 ₹59.1

140.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

$0.50 ₹47.68

104.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

$0.63 ₹60.2

141.27%

Eggs

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

$0.96 ₹91.1

96.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 ZWL 261

$4.85 ₹460

102.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 ZWL 132

$2.84 ₹270

75.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.60 ZWL 149

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

$2.00 ₹190

36.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

$0.65 ₹61.3

166.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$0.97 ₹92.1

103.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

$0.47 ₹44.22

189.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

$0.34 ₹31.82

376.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

$0.42 ₹39.66

271.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

$0.47 ₹44.32

144.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

$0.31 ₹29.62

219.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

$5.08 ₹482

-59.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.92 ZWL 184

$7.31 ₹694

-5.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

$1.63 ₹154

-23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

$2.76 ₹262

-30.43%

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

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

$0.26 ₹24.81

276.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

$8.58 ₹815

357.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

$1.00 ₹94.5

192.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$0.27 ₹25.69

629.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 134

$1.54 ₹146

227.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$1.07 ₹102

66.36%

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

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

121.21%

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

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

$20.1K ₹1.9M

36.91%

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

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

$37.08 ₹3,521

38.19%

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

$18.70 ZWL 497

$3.58 ₹340

422.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

$7.15 ₹679

879.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

$15.00 ₹1,424

180.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 ZWL 539

$7.17 ₹681

182.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ZWL 267

$3.20 ₹303

214.69%

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

$287 ZWL 7,613

$58.8 ₹5,583

387.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

$1,667 ₹158.2K

360.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.37 ZWL 515

$23.03 ₹2,187

-15.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.62 ZWL 468

$24.17 ₹2,295

-27.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

$41.20 ₹3,911

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

$29.62 ₹2,812

44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ZWL 7,942

$146 ₹13.9K

104.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ZWL 6,409

$96.4 ₹9,149

150.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ZWL 19.6K

$343 ₹32.6K

114.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$234 ₹22.2K

138.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$924 ZWL 24.6K

$1,177 ₹111.7K

-21.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$397 ZWL 10.6K

$633 ₹60.1K

-37.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$369 ZWL 9,804

$409 ₹38.8K

-9.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.77

8.93

54.20%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9%

India

$96 24.1% 60.1% $145

Groceries & Markets

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8%

India

$102 25.6% 48.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2%

India

$48 12% 65.8% $92

Eating Out

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2%

India

$67 16.7% 41.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2%

India

$21 5.4% 65.6% $41

Getting Around

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5%

India

$12 3% 78.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3%

India

$53 13.3% 1.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $240 in Zimbabwe, $120 in India. Capital cities: $399 in Harare vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $363 in Zimbabwe, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 100% higher in Zimbabwe.

Dining out costs 291% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 350% more expensive in Zimbabwe.

Salaries are 13% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Zimbabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,178,979

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zimbabwe India 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zimbabwe
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $864 in Zimbabwe, India comes out about 54% cheaper. 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 cheaper in India: 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.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $240 in Zimbabwe and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $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.

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