Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $753 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Belgrade, Serbia
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Bulawayo
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$753
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade 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 Belgrade and in Bulawayo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $753 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,541
  • Bulawayo $753

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,201 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,351
  • Bulawayo $1,201

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $1,650 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,161
  • Bulawayo $1,650

Belgrade costs about 105% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Bulawayo is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.43 RSD 1,398
$4.56 ZWL 121
194.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.0 RSD 6,036
$30.25 ZWL 803
91.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.30 RSD 1,384
$4.93 ZWL 131
169.78%
Cappuccino
$3.05 RSD 317
$2.09 ZWL 55.4
45.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 RSD 293
$0.48 ZWL 12.68
487.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 RSD 238
$0.39 ZWL 10.47
484.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.66 RSD 381
$1.48 ZWL 39.40
147.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 RSD 435
$2.02 ZWL 53.6
106.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 RSD 147
$1.60 ZWL 42.45
-11.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 RSD 121
$1.02 ZWL 27.10
13.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 RSD 263
$1.52 ZWL 40.37
66.45%
Eggs
$2.80 RSD 292
$1.82 ZWL 48.24
53.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.93 RSD 1,137
$9.72 ZWL 258
12.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.80 RSD 708
$3.85 ZWL 102
76.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.40 RSD 1,603
$4.51 ZWL 120
241.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 RSD 170
$1.87 ZWL 49.74
-12.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 RSD 182
$1.54 ZWL 40.80
13.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 RSD 186
$2.52 ZWL 66.8
-29.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.04 RSD 316
$1.02 ZWL 27.07
198.04%
Potato (1kg)
$0.97 RSD 101
$1.22 ZWL 32.39
-20.49%
Onion (1kg)
$0.65 RSD 67.7
$1.37 ZWL 36.28
-52.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 RSD 77.2
$1.15 ZWL 30.49
-35.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 RSD 75.3
$0.75 ZWL 20.03
-4.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.53 RSD 471
$1.54 ZWL 40.87
194.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.25 RSD 858
$5.05 ZWL 134
63.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 RSD 89.8
$1.39 ZWL 36.92
-38.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 RSD 148
$1.85 ZWL 49.07
-22.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.79 ZWL 20.87
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$30.12 ZWL 799
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.10 RSD 323
$3.02 ZWL 80.1
2.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 RSD 102
$1.94 ZWL 51.5
-49.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.10 RSD 1,780
$5.14 ZWL 137
232.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 RSD 195
$1.68 ZWL 44.63
11.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
$24.5K ZWL 650.3K
26.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
$24.9K ZWL 661.7K
-3.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 RSD 22.4K
$94.5 ZWL 2,508
127.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.55 RSD 2,659
$17.77 ZWL 472
43.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.40 RSD 3,685
$106 ZWL 2,807
-66.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.62 RSD 4,228
$30.88 ZWL 820
31.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 RSD 2,367
$19.80 ZWL 526
14.85%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 RSD 832
$10.20 ZWL 271
-21.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 RSD 47.2K
$229 ZWL 6,088
97.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
$3,490 ZWL 92.6K
254.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$112 RSD 11.6K
$21.65 ZWL 574
415.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.56 RSD 4,951
$11.60 ZWL 308
310.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 RSD 11.8K
$47.10 ZWL 1,250
141.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 RSD 15.3K
$59.1 ZWL 1,567
148.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 RSD 86.3K
$172 ZWL 4,566
382.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$540 RSD 56.2K
$108 ZWL 2,855
402.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
$412 ZWL 10.9K
265.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$975 RSD 101.5K
$320 ZWL 8,497
204.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
$2,116 ZWL 56.2K
139.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
$2,069 ZWL 54.9K
53.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Bulawayo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
$305 ZWL 8,094
318.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
15
-70.00%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$540
Bulawayo
$108 80.1% $433
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$276
Bulawayo
$218 20.9% $58
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$241
Bulawayo
$176 26.8% $65
Eating Out
Belgrade
$231
Bulawayo
$91 60.5% $140
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$189
Bulawayo
$63 66.8% $126
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$57
Bulawayo
$51 9.4% $5.3
Getting Around
Belgrade
$8 *
Bulawayo
$46 476% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $829 in Belgrade versus $172 in Bulawayo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belgrade are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $30 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $176 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇿🇼 Bulawayo
🕒 Local time
01:55 1:55 AM
02:55 2:55 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
653,337
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.79 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Bulawayo 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • 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
Belgrade vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Bulawayo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $753 in Bulawayo – Bulawayo comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Bulawayo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,129 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Belgrade and Bulawayo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulawayo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $829 in Belgrade.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $30 in Bulawayo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $753, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Belgrade or Bulawayo?
Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Belgrade and Bulawayo?
If budget matters most, go with Bulawayo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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