Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and United Kingdom Cost of Living Comparison Between Zimbabwe and United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $491 in Zimbabwe versus $2,363 in United Kingdom.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $821 in Zimbabwe versus $3,471 in United Kingdom.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,151 in Zimbabwe versus $4,579 in United Kingdom.

Living in Zimbabwe costs about 79% less than in United Kingdom on average.

Zimbabwe (63% below) and United Kingdom (77% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.10 ZWL 190

$20.23 £15.05

-64.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 ZWL 1,359

$88.3 £65.7

-42.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 ZWL 162

$10.35 £7.70

-41.45%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ZWL 71.7

$4.77 £3.55

-43.61%

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

$0.73 ZWL 19.36

$2.44 £1.82

-70.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZWL 12.99

$1.73 £1.29

-71.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.29

$6.85 £5.10

-78.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ZWL 52.4

$6.52 £4.85

-69.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ZWL 42.02

$1.66 £1.23

-5.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 ZWL 27.38

$1.71 £1.27

-39.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 ZWL 48.77

$2.21 £1.64

-17.19%

Eggs

$2.05 ZWL 54.8

$4.09 £3.04

-49.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZWL 272

$9.52 £7.08

7.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 ZWL 147

$9.02 £6.71

-38.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.84 ZWL 156

$14.18 £10.54

-58.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ZWL 70.6

$2.96 £2.20

-10.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ZWL 45.84

$1.68 £1.25

2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ZWL 55.1

$2.84 £2.11

-27.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.97

$3.41 £2.54

-52.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.64

$1.69 £1.26

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 48.15

$1.58 £1.17

13.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ZWL 29.02

$1.12 £0.84

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ZWL 28.74

$1.53 £1.14

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ZWL 36.83

$20.16 £15.00

-93.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 ZWL 182

$10.47 £7.79

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ZWL 30.56

$2.87 £2.14

-59.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ZWL 47.65

$3.30 £2.45

-45.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZWL 27.00

$3.33 £2.48

-69.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.60 ZWL 790

$96.3 £71.6

-69.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ZWL 137

$5.53 £4.11

-7.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ZWL 53.8

$1.60 £1.19

26.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZWL 137

$27.51 £20.47

-81.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ZWL 43.12

$1.90 £1.41

-14.74%

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

$23.1K ZWL 616.7K

$38.1K £28.3K

-39.31%

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

$24.4K ZWL 650.7K

$41.0K £30.5K

-40.51%

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

$53.8 ZWL 1,435

$326 £243

-83.50%

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

$17.22 ZWL 459

$17.18 £12.78

0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.0 ZWL 2,401

$42.96 £31.96

109.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 ZWL 1,261

$45.94 £34.17

2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.08 ZWL 295

$15.87 £11.81

-30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 ZWL 270

$13.80 £10.26

-26.59%

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

$225 ZWL 5,995

$1,723 £1,281

-86.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,093 ZWL 215.9K

$20.9K £15.5K

-61.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.09 ZWL 509

$90.3 £67.2

-78.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.59 ZWL 523

$44.39 £33.02

-55.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.25 ZWL 994

$103 £76.7

-63.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.76 ZWL 1,114

$103 £76.3

-59.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ZWL 8,862

$1,419 £1,055

-76.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ZWL 6,115

$1,143 £850

-79.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ZWL 21.6K

$2,298 £1,709

-64.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 ZWL 14.6K

$1,873 £1,393

-70.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$936 ZWL 25.0K

$5,728 £4,260

-83.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$395 ZWL 10.5K

$4,339 £3,228

-90.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ZWL 9,090

$3,264 £2,428

-89.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.5

5.75

134.78%

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

Last update for Zimbabwe: July 12, 2026

Last update for United Kingdom: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $105 in Zimbabwe, $1,266 in United Kingdom. Capital cities: $398 in Harare vs $2,937 in London.

National salary averages: $355 in Zimbabwe, $3,192 in United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1106% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 163% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 1050% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 799% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Kingdom.

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,793 per month in United Kingdom and $495 in Zimbabwe, there's a 464% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Zimbabwe: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom is consistently higher than in Zimbabwe across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Zimbabwe, $800 covers most cities easily; in United Kingdom 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: Zimbabwe wins on affordability; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.