South Africa vs Zimbabwe - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa Zimbabwe
🚶 Cost of living one person
$924
$880
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2166
$2256
🏠 One person rent
$470
$341
🏘️ Family rent
$833
$636
🍽️ Food expenses
$264
$336
🚐 Transport expenses
$111
$132
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1385
$334
💸 GDP per capita
$6023
$2156
😃 Human freedom index
7.1
4.87
❤️ Life expectancy
61.5
59.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
21
🌐 English speaking %
31%
82.1%
🎓 Higher education
82
48
😀 Quality of life
36
22
🏙️ Population
62M
15.2M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($924) is 5% more expensive than in Zimbabwe ($880). South Africa ranked 94th vs 103rd for Zimbabwe in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.5 months in South Africa compared to 0.4 months in Zimbabwe. Ranked 132nd and 165th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs Zimbabwe infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in South Africa vs Zimbabwe

We calculate prices for South Africa and Zimbabwe as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 10 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

South Africa Zimbabwe
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$8.19
$8.97
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$33.3
$47.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.58
$5.59
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.27
$1.52
 Cappuccino
$1.94
$2.8
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.98
$0.65
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$462
$224
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$339
$190
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$835
$637
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$654
$432
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$67.6
$35.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$104
$54.5
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$38.4
$109
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.55%
13.71%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1135
$1342
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$830
$1043
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.62
$0.78
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$47.6
$30.3
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.18
$20.6
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.22
$1.56
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.09
$1.59
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.95
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.39
$1.66
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.38
$2.15
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.21
$10.6
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.78
$6.71
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.58
$6.17
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.51
$2.71
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.43
$1.62
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$2.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.52
$1.66
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.27
$1.38
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.29
$1.89
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.61
$0.63
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.32
$2.33
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.35
$6.81
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.32
$1.14
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.85
$1.32
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.47
$8.56
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.31
$5.11
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.75
$2.68
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.24
$1.49
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$29.3
$50.8
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.24
$9.85
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$28
$33.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.66
$6.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$47.5
$20.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$89.2
$38.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$187
$231
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4572
$6172

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs Zimbabwe

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$993
4.43M
Cape Town
$1071
3.78M
Soweto
$923
1.27M
Pretoria
$906
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$640
839K
Rustenburg
$889
550K
Durban
$809
595K
Randburg
$837
337K
Centurion
$807
237K
Sandton
$953
222K
East London
$766
267K
Port Elizabeth
$901
312K
Benoni
$785
159K
Kroonstad
$768
169K
Springs
$678
122K
Kimberley
$814
225K
Klerksdorp
$722
187K
Bloemfontein
$657
256K
Vanderbijlpark
$773
95.8K
Mthatha
$852
96.1K
Paarl
$1147
112K
Potchefstroom
$695
149K
Uitenhage
$840
104K
Komani
$915
68.9K
George
$743
157K
Vereeniging
$672
99K
Middelburg
$795
87.3K
Bethal
$784
60.8K
Upington
$699
121K
Brits
$820
53.5K

In Zimbabwe

City Cost of living Population
Harare
$992
2.15M
Masvingo
$854
1.64M
Bulawayo
$766
666K
Chitungwiza
$873
365K
Mutare
$752
225K
Gweru
$597
141K
Kadoma
$723
116K
Kwekwe
$730
93.1K
Marondera
$794
52.3K
Chinhoyi
$646
56.8K