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Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and South Africa

🙂 Solo nomad: Zimbabwe is 0.1% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 18.5% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Zimbabwe is 0.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 11.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.88 ZWL 176
$8.84 R 145
-22.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.29 ZWL 1,262
$38.50 R 631
28.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.89 ZWL 151
$5.07 R 83.2
16.17%
Cappuccino
$2.71 ZWL 69.5
$2.04 R 33.40
32.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ZWL 17.38
$1.04 R 17.02
-34.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ZWL 12.44
$0.74 R 12.08
-33.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.48 ZWL 38.01
$2.31 R 37.83
-35.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ZWL 52.1
$2.47 R 40.57
-17.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 ZWL 38.88
$1.07 R 17.55
42.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 ZWL 26.07
$1.01 R 16.51
0.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 ZWL 48.22
$1.57 R 25.79
19.75%
Eggs
$2.16 ZWL 55.4
$2.33 R 38.26
-7.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.45 ZWL 268
$7.68 R 126
36.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.82 ZWL 149
$4.47 R 73.4
30.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.84 ZWL 150
$6.60 R 108
-11.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 ZWL 69.6
$1.56 R 25.55
74.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ZWL 44.35
$1.45 R 23.80
19.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.13 ZWL 54.5
$1.51 R 24.79
41.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ZWL 41.15
$1.49 R 24.39
8.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 ZWL 40.37
$1.21 R 19.91
30.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 ZWL 47.09
$1.33 R 21.80
38.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ZWL 27.97
$1.08 R 17.70
0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 ZWL 26.70
$0.94 R 15.34
10.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.37 ZWL 34.99
$2.85 R 46.74
-51.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.03 ZWL 180
$4.89 R 80.3
43.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 ZWL 28.92
$1.38 R 22.64
-18.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ZWL 46.24
$1.69 R 27.65
7.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 ZWL 25.91
$1.73 R 28.33
-41.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.49 ZWL 781
$45.33 R 743
-32.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 ZWL 129
$1.10 R 18.01
358.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.96 ZWL 50.1
$1.10 R 18.03
78.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.15 ZWL 132
$4.69 R 76.9
9.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 ZWL 41.01
$1.30 R 21.32
23.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.2K ZWL 594.2K
$20.6K R 337.3K
12.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K ZWL 632.6K
$24.2K R 396.4K
2.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.4 ZWL 1,393
$110 R 1,811
-50.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.78 ZWL 455
$32.07 R 526
-44.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$90.6 ZWL 2,320
$40.81 R 669
121.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.66 ZWL 1,221
$31.33 R 514
52.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.93 ZWL 280
$9.44 R 155
15.78%
Cinema Ticket
$10.13 ZWL 259
$6.90 R 113
46.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$220 ZWL 5,638
$187 R 3,074
17.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,067 ZWL 206.6K
$4,385 R 71.9K
83.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.97 ZWL 486
$49.70 R 815
-61.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.99 ZWL 486
$31.23 R 512
-39.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.84 ZWL 943
$93.0 R 1,526
-60.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.04 ZWL 1,077
$79.7 R 1,307
-47.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$340 ZWL 8,706
$443 R 7,265
-23.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$230 ZWL 5,898
$369 R 6,048
-37.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$814 ZWL 20.8K
$890 R 14.6K
-8.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$535 ZWL 13.7K
$724 R 11.9K
-26.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$836 ZWL 21.4K
$1,125 R 18.5K
-25.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$383 ZWL 9,812
$823 R 13.5K
-53.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$350 ZWL 8,952
$1,486 R 24.4K
-76.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.5
11.55
16.88%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: January 13, 2026

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

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