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

😐 Solo nomad: Zimbabwe is 1.4% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 16.5% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Zimbabwe is 1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 11.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.17 ZWL 180
$8.71 R 143
-17.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.7 ZWL 1,276
$39.43 R 647
28.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.98 ZWL 150
$5.16 R 84.6
15.89%
Cappuccino
$2.69 ZWL 67.6
$2.03 R 33.30
32.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ZWL 18.40
$1.03 R 16.93
-29.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ZWL 11.25
$0.79 R 12.91
-43.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 ZWL 36.90
$2.30 R 37.76
-36.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ZWL 50.0
$2.55 R 41.84
-21.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 ZWL 38.27
$1.11 R 18.27
36.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 ZWL 25.47
$1.04 R 17.03
-2.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.90 ZWL 47.82
$1.54 R 25.33
23.38%
Eggs
$2.09 ZWL 52.5
$2.24 R 36.79
-6.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.12 ZWL 255
$7.86 R 129
28.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.82 ZWL 146
$4.73 R 77.7
23.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.66 ZWL 142
$6.65 R 109
-14.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.69 ZWL 67.8
$1.51 R 24.82
78.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 ZWL 45.86
$1.41 R 23.07
29.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 ZWL 53.7
$1.49 R 24.46
43.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ZWL 40.01
$1.56 R 25.63
1.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 ZWL 38.29
$1.19 R 19.59
27.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 ZWL 45.82
$1.30 R 21.26
40.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 ZWL 26.37
$1.04 R 17.10
0.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 ZWL 26.00
$0.96 R 15.78
7.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.31 ZWL 33.05
$2.92 R 47.96
-55.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.80 ZWL 171
$4.80 R 78.8
41.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 ZWL 30.05
$1.33 R 21.89
-10.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 ZWL 44.79
$1.72 R 28.25
3.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 ZWL 24.50
$1.70 R 27.89
-42.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.42 ZWL 740
$45.20 R 741
-34.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 ZWL 127
$1.09 R 17.92
362.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 ZWL 51.3
$1.05 R 17.23
94.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.87 ZWL 123
$4.73 R 77.6
2.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.62 ZWL 40.79
$1.29 R 21.23
25.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K ZWL 600.2K
$21.1K R 345.3K
13.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K ZWL 624.4K
$23.6K R 386.6K
5.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.3 ZWL 1,340
$112 R 1,830
-52.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.23 ZWL 434
$31.97 R 524
-46.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$89.8 ZWL 2,260
$40.41 R 663
122.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.31 ZWL 1,165
$31.85 R 522
45.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.79 ZWL 271
$9.68 R 159
11.47%
Cinema Ticket
$10.06 ZWL 253
$6.64 R 109
51.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$221 ZWL 5,562
$190 R 3,119
16.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,190 ZWL 206.1K
$4,317 R 70.8K
89.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.90 ZWL 476
$48.50 R 795
-61.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.08 ZWL 480
$30.47 R 500
-37.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$37.54 ZWL 945
$94.3 R 1,546
-60.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.87 ZWL 1,079
$81.4 R 1,335
-47.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$335 ZWL 8,417
$453 R 7,425
-26.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$224 ZWL 5,647
$371 R 6,084
-39.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$797 ZWL 20.1K
$881 R 14.5K
-9.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$540 ZWL 13.6K
$705 R 11.6K
-23.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$853 ZWL 21.5K
$1,147 R 18.8K
-25.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$391 ZWL 9,826
$818 R 13.4K
-52.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$342 ZWL 8,612
$1,476 R 24.2K
-76.81%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for South Africa: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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