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

😐 Solo nomad: Zimbabwe is 0.8% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 17.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Zimbabwe is 0.8% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 10.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.02 ZWL 189
$9.05 R 161
-22.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.16 ZWL 1,326
$38.84 R 691
26.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.14 ZWL 166
$4.9 R 87.1
25.31%
Cappuccino
$2.67 ZWL 72.1
$1.98 R 35.28
34.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ZWL 18.06
$0.96 R 17.06
-30.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ZWL 13.25
$0.75 R 13.31
-34.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.49 ZWL 40.07
$2.18 R 38.72
-31.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ZWL 55.4
$2.54 R 45.1
-19.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.6 ZWL 43.1
$1.1 R 19.58
45.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 ZWL 26.64
$1.03 R 18.32
-3.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 ZWL 49.83
$1.56 R 27.71
18.59%
Eggs
$2.13 ZWL 57.3
$2.25 R 39.93
-5.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.34 ZWL 279
$7.67 R 136
34.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.7 ZWL 154
$4.62 R 82.2
23.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.57 ZWL 150
$6.86 R 122
-18.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 ZWL 72.3
$1.58 R 28.02
69.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 ZWL 48.35
$1.42 R 25.3
26.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.07 ZWL 55.8
$1.44 R 25.58
43.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 ZWL 42.03
$1.49 R 26.5
4.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 ZWL 42.86
$1.25 R 22.16
27.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 ZWL 49.72
$1.34 R 23.81
37.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 ZWL 28.32
$1.09 R 19.31
-3.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 ZWL 28.92
$0.96 R 17.15
11.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.32 ZWL 35.67
$2.9 R 51.6
-54.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.85 ZWL 185
$5.07 R 90.3
35.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 ZWL 31.79
$1.38 R 24.49
-14.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ZWL 46.89
$1.68 R 29.79
3.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 ZWL 27.27
$1.71 R 30.47
-40.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.2 ZWL 815
$45.01 R 801
-32.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.02 ZWL 135
$1.1 R 19.61
356.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 ZWL 55.5
$1.09 R 19.41
88.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.14 ZWL 139
$4.8 R 85.3
7.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.62 ZWL 43.56
$1.31 R 23.23
23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K ZWL 631.1K
$21K R 374.2K
11.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K ZWL 667.7K
$23.7K R 421.3K
4.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.2 ZWL 1,436
$113 R 2,009
-52.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.64 ZWL 476
$33.11 R 589
-46.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$90.5 ZWL 2,442
$41.49 R 738
118.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.08 ZWL 1,270
$31.69 R 564
48.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11 ZWL 297
$9.45 R 168
16.40%
Cinema Ticket
$9.93 ZWL 268
$6.7 R 119
48.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$224 ZWL 6,042
$186 R 3,303
20.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,320 ZWL 224.4K
$4,336 R 77.1K
91.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.89 ZWL 509
$48.56 R 864
-61.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.58 ZWL 528
$30.74 R 547
-36.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.99 ZWL 998
$92 R 1,636
-59.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.09 ZWL 1,135
$79.6 R 1,415
-47.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$334 ZWL 9,021
$442 R 7,860
-24.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$228 ZWL 6,156
$370 R 6,579
-38.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$801 ZWL 21.6K
$880 R 15.7K
-9.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$533 ZWL 14.4K
$724 R 12.9K
-26.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$989 ZWL 26.7K
$1,021 R 18.2K
-3.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$530 ZWL 14.3K
$803 R 14.3K
-34.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$343 ZWL 9,251
$1,406 R 25K
-75.61%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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