The cost of living for a Zimbabwean family of five has risen to about U.S$500 a month, with the food component rising to US$144.19 in November from U.S$142.77 in December, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe says, noting surges in bread, milk and tea prices.
Fuel prices also drove the continued rise in living costs, the quasi-governmental body said.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions Acting Secretary General Japhet Moyo told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri workers must brace themselves for an economically trying 2011. Most Zimbabwean workers are officially earning no more than US$200 a month.
Pastor Elias Ncube of Hwange, Matabeleland North province, said the increased cost of living will make life harder for average Zimbabweans, noting in an interview with VOA's Brenda Moyo that school uniforms, shoes and books have all risen steeply in price.
