Cost of Living in Zimbabwe
Image credit: Bernard Gagnon
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Zimbabwe: $5,215/capita.
Cities in Zimbabwe
Income Category
Happiness
3.3 / 10
#136 globally
GDP per Capita
Population
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 64% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Child Education
Public-schooling rules are not sourced for Zimbabwe yet. Country-level enrollment, instruction-language, and homeschool notes will appear here once verified.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Zimbabwe. We publish this section only when we can tie it to verified local samples or a clearly marked country fallback.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Zimbabwe.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedLow out-of-pocket burden help, but coverage looks thinner and doctor staffing is lighter.
Public care
LimitedRelatively low patient cost-sharing and a visible public hospital footprint help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
GoodA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
59/100
2023
Physicians
0.14/1k
2023
Hospital beds
1.95/1k
2014
Out of pocket
11%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
63.1 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
358/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
33.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Zimbabwe yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2015 annual wages in Zimbabwe · Source: ILO ILOSTAT
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
About Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a lower-middle-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa where Harare is the main practical base for relocators, especially because private clinics there are the recommended option for expats. Living costs are very low, putting Zimbabwe toward the budget end of the regional comparison, but that affordability comes with tradeoffs: economic instability, currency volatility, and uneven healthcare access need to be treated as planning issues, not footnotes. English is an official language, which lowers the setup friction for many newcomers, and many nationalities can enter visa-free for 30 days with renewal possible. Victoria Falls and major cities are relatively safe, though caution is still advised in certain areas. Expect a subtropical climate, 4G improving in cities, and slower rural connectivity.
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Common questions about Zimbabwe
Sourced from SortaRich's public-data ranking engine — every figure links to its institutional source.
Is Zimbabwe a good country to live in?
Zimbabwe is a lower-rated country to live in per the World Happiness Report (3.3 of 10, ranking #136 globally). Whether it's right for you depends on your priorities — use SortaRich's free quiz to see how Zimbabwe ranks for your specific income, family, and visa profile.
Sources: World Happiness Report, SortaRich Methodology
How much does it cost to live in Zimbabwe?
The cost of living in Zimbabwe is about 64% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), with an overall cost-of-living index of 36. SortaRich personalizes these numbers to your home city's purchasing power so the comparison is real, not nominal.
Sources: SortaRich Cost of Living, World Bank ICP 2021
How far does $1 go in Zimbabwe?
$1 goes about 3.0x further in Zimbabwe than in the baseline market — your home-country income stretches that much more (current PPP ratio: 3.04). The figure adjusts every year as exchange rates and local prices shift. SortaRich uses World Bank ICP 2021 as the anchor and Penn World Tables 11.0 for cross-validation.
Sources: World Bank ICP 2021, Penn World Tables 11.0
What visa do I need to move to Zimbabwe?
To move to Zimbabwe you have these visa options: Tourist entry: visa_on_arrival. Visa rules change frequently — confirm the current terms with the official immigration authority before booking flights.
Source: SortaRich Visa Database
What are the best cities to live in Zimbabwe?
The best cities to live in Zimbabwe are Harare — those are the most-searched options among the 1 cities profiled in the SortaRich database. Each city page includes a personalized PPP comparison versus your home city plus subnational price data where available.
Source: SortaRich City Index