“Whole Salary on the Table”: Zimbabwean Woman Shows What R4K Grocery Haul Gets in Harare

• A woman showed off her grocery run in Zimbabwe, and people online had plenty to say after seeing what made it onto the table
• A new report looked at why some African countries are becoming more expensive places to live, with a few key factors driving prices up
• Social media users jumped into the comments with money-saving tips and stories about shopping costs

A woman shared her grocery haul in Harare, Zimbabwe and got viewers online talking.

An Instagram video by @denisekay05 showed what $250 (about R4,100) bought her in Harare. She laid out her purchases, which included cleaning products, sanitary items, cooking oil, milk, a large selection of fruit and vegetables, salt, mayonnaise, and frozen foods such as chicken pieces.

"This is what $250 gets me in Harare."

African countries with the highest cost of living in 2026

A report on African living costs found that high prices are not always linked to how rich a country is. Instead, costs are often pushed up by heavy dependence on imports, weak currencies, transport problems, and limited local production.

Read also

R8k net pay shock: Assistant manager salary post gets Mzansi talking

The top 10 countries listed are Seychelles, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Angola, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Mauritius, and South Africa. Smaller countries and island nations often have higher costs because they import most of their goods.

In larger countries, housing, food, transport, and infrastructure problems can also increase expenses. The report says economic growth alone does not make life cheaper, and government policies, local production, and stable economies also affect everyday prices.

View the Instagram video below:

Viewers shared their thoughts on the haul

Viewers gave suggestions and reacted to the haul items. This is what people said on Denise's page:

shamytimburwa said:

"Kuno kuChitungwiza re$250 unovhura tuckshop" (Here in Chitungwiza for $250 you can open a tuckshop)

anita_grace_dicksen wrote:

"The struggle! 😩 Buy everything else in bulk at metro Peech. That $250 will get you 6 months worth of everyday stuff then your veggies and fresh stuff you can still get from more affordable supermarkets like freshco or pick n pay."

collytaz

"Back in 2018 that used to be like a 100 dollars worth of grocery"

tei_sha98 shared:

"I think the best hack you can have is to have a certain shop for certain products. Yes its tiring but sometimes you get to save , for example you know where to get your affordable fruits and vegetables, where to get your good quality meat at affordable prizes"

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"This is nice and cheap": SA teacher in China shows cheap petrol prices abroad and has Mzansi fuming

dr_tinotenda_magadza said:

"Salary yese pa table" (A whole salary on the table)

More Briefly News on hauls

• A Johannesburg woman amazed people online after showing how she used a R100 grocery haul to feed herself for a week, sparking discussion about smart budgeting and rising food costs.
• A South African woman’s R3,000 Shoprite grocery haul sparked debate after she showed a relatively small basket of food and household items, with many people questioning how basic groceries have become so expensive.
• A woman’s Ackermans R30 sale haul got South Africans excited after she shared stylish bargain finds, prompting many people to ask when the sale ends and plan their own shopping trips.

Source: Briefly News