Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
Learn more

Bulawayo Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bulawayo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Bulawayo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $763 in Bulawayo.

Athens $1,806
Bulawayo $763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,192 in Bulawayo.

Athens $2,731
Bulawayo $1,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,622 in Bulawayo.

Athens $3,656
Bulawayo $1,622

Living in Athens is roughly 137% more expensive than in Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Bulawayo is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$4.58 ZWL 122

263.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$30.29 ZWL 809

118.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$4.89 ZWL 131

126.18%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

98.09%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

438.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

54.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

283.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

168.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

82.58%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

163.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$9.59 ZWL 256

60.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$4.02 ZWL 107

157.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$4.46 ZWL 119

325.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

17.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

19.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

-42.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

111.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

-14.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

-18.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

263.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.10 ZWL 136

99.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

61.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

79.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$30.55 ZWL 816

1.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

48.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$5.04 ZWL 135

239.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

40.85%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

13.87%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

13.77%

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

$210 €187

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

120.00%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$17.21 ZWL 460

55.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$105 ZWL 2,816

-71.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$31.62 ZWL 845

72.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$20.07 ZWL 536

29.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$9.86 ZWL 263

9.33%

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

$575 €513

$231 ZWL 6,175

148.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

273.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$20.96 ZWL 560

344.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$11.58 ZWL 309

251.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

128.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

121.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$176 ZWL 4,695

329.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$107 ZWL 2,863

508.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$414 ZWL 11.1K

212.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$325 ZWL 8,679

257.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

95.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

68.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$306 ZWL 8,161

306.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-70.13%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Bulawayo

$107 14.2% 83.6% $545

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Bulawayo

$177 23.5% 43.7% $138

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 66% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 18.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Bulawayo

$61 8.1% 62.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 32.6% $25

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Bulawayo

$46 6.2% 0.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $176 in Bulawayo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 307% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $30.00 in Bulawayo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $177 per month, with Bulawayo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

13:17 1:17 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

653,337

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.93 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bulawayo 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Athens
Bulawayo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Athens vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bulawayo wins on cost – living expenses run 137% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bulawayo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 307% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $176 in Bulawayo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bulawayo – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $763 in Bulawayo – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $763 in Bulawayo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bulawayo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bulawayo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bulawayo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $763 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bulawayo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bulawayo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bulawayo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.