Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimbabwe: $864 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Zimbabwe
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Zimbabwe Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$864

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zimbabwe and in South Africa

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Zimbabwe vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Zimbabwe $864
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,423 per month in Zimbabwe vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Zimbabwe $1,423
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $1,981 per month in Zimbabwe vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Zimbabwe $1,981
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Zimbabwe ($579–$1,065), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Zimbabwe is roughly 28% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Zimbabwe and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Zimbabwe 36% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.28 ZWL 167

$10.67 R 177

-41.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.61 ZWL 1,079

$41.66 R 693

-2.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ZWL 147

$5.80 R 96.5

-4.31%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ZWL 68.6

$2.36 R 39.23

9.32%

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

$0.74 ZWL 19.55

$1.12 R 18.56

-33.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.74

$0.90 R 14.99

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.04

$2.42 R 40.19

-39.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$3.06 R 50.9

-35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ZWL 39.69

$1.18 R 19.58

26.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.22

$1.13 R 18.83

-9.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

$1.74 R 28.90

-12.64%

Eggs

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

$2.57 R 42.80

-26.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 ZWL 261

$8.43 R 140

16.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 ZWL 132

$5.12 R 85.1

-2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.60 ZWL 149

$7.59 R 126

-26.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ZWL 72.3

$1.77 R 29.52

53.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 45.89

$1.74 R 28.90

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$1.77 R 29.43

11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ZWL 36.02

$1.76 R 29.26

-22.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 42.97

$1.49 R 24.81

8.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.56

$1.47 R 24.37

6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.54

$1.23 R 20.52

-6.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.30

$1.10 R 18.25

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

$3.24 R 54.0

-36.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.92 ZWL 184

$5.00 R 83.2

38.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ZWL 32.88

$1.50 R 24.90

-17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

$1.94 R 32.26

-1.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZWL 26.06

$1.48 R 24.58

-33.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 ZWL 1,043

$59.3 R 986

-33.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 ZWL 77.7

$1.09 R 18.21

167.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$0.99 R 16.46

98.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 134

$7.46 R 124

-32.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$1.43 R 23.76

24.48%

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

$24.8K ZWL 659.1K

$35.3K R 587.3K

-29.73%

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

$27.5K ZWL 729.4K

$32.4K R 539.6K

-15.37%

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

$51.2 ZWL 1,361

$133 R 2,208

-61.40%

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

$18.70 ZWL 497

$34.83 R 579

-46.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 ZWL 1,860

$39.76 R 662

76.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.11 ZWL 1,119

$33.09 R 550

27.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 ZWL 539

$11.65 R 194

74.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ZWL 267

$7.18 R 119

40.25%

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

$287 ZWL 7,613

$224 R 3,728

27.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,672 ZWL 203.8K

$5,462 R 90.9K

40.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.37 ZWL 515

$54.2 R 902

-64.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.62 ZWL 468

$34.13 R 568

-48.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.22 ZWL 1,069

$102 R 1,698

-60.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.91 ZWL 1,140

$88.5 R 1,472

-51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ZWL 7,942

$492 R 8,189

-39.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ZWL 6,409

$398 R 6,617

-39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ZWL 19.6K

$946 R 15.7K

-22.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$827 R 13.8K

-32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$924 ZWL 24.6K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-15.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$397 ZWL 10.6K

$769 R 12.8K

-48.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$369 ZWL 9,804

$1,502 R 25.0K

-75.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.77

11.23

22.62%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: October 27, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zimbabwe

$241 27.9%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 64.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Zimbabwe

$197 22.8%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 0.5% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zimbabwe

$140 16.2%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 48.2% $67

Eating Out

Zimbabwe

$114 13.2%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 38% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Zimbabwe

$62 7.2%

South Africa

$47 4% 23.8% $15

Getting Around

Zimbabwe

$56 6.5%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 27.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Zimbabwe

$54 6.3%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 132% $71

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $240 in Zimbabwe vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $399 in Harare and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $363 in Zimbabwe vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 10% more in Zimbabwe.

Public transport is 69% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.1 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

Same time as Zimbabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,178,979

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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 = 29.65 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zimbabwe South Africa 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zimbabwe
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zimbabwe is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 28% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $422 versus $240 in Zimbabwe.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zimbabwe, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Zimbabwe is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.