Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $763 in Bulawayo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Bulawayo $763
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,192 in Bulawayo versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Bulawayo $1,192
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,622 in Bulawayo versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Bulawayo $1,622
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Bulawayo costs roughly 72% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bulawayo is 43% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$20.22 $20.22

-77.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ZWL 809

$85.0 $85.0

-64.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ZWL 131

$12.35 $12.35

-60.40%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

$5.47 $5.47

-61.79%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

$3.82 $3.82

-86.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

$2.50 $2.50

-85.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$8.06 $8.06

-81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

$8.99 $8.99

-77.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

$1.13 $1.13

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

$3.78 $3.78

-73.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

$3.25 $3.25

-52.31%

Eggs

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

$4.14 $4.14

-53.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 ZWL 256

$13.08 $13.08

-26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ZWL 107

$14.31 $14.31

-71.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.46 ZWL 119

$15.96 $15.96

-72.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

$4.38 $4.38

-57.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

$1.45 $1.45

10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

$4.54 $4.54

-46.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

$4.19 $4.19

-75.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

$2.63 $2.63

-51.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

$2.36 $2.36

-41.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

$1.76 $1.76

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

$2.16 $2.16

-65.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

$9.81 $9.81

-84.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$14.72 $14.72

-65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

$2.78 $2.78

-51.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

$3.48 $3.48

-46.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

$1.49 $1.49

-48.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 ZWL 816

$40.51 $40.51

-24.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$2.67 $2.67

10.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$1.58 $1.58

23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 135

$35.29 $35.29

-85.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

$0.99 $0.99

65.66%

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

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

$35.8K $35.8K

-31.36%

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

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

$27.2K $27.2K

-9.39%

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

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

$219 $219

-56.52%

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

$17.21 ZWL 460

$58.0 $58.0

-70.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 ZWL 2,816

$68.4 $68.4

54.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 ZWL 845

$57.9 $57.9

-45.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 ZWL 536

$14.82 $14.82

35.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 ZWL 263

$14.13 $14.13

-30.22%

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

$231 ZWL 6,175

$1,509 $1,509

-84.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-83.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.96 ZWL 560

$51.7 $51.7

-59.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.58 ZWL 309

$44.05 $44.05

-73.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$85.1 $85.1

-46.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

$105 $105

-44.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,695

$1,932 $1,932

-90.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ZWL 2,863

$1,272 $1,272

-91.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ZWL 11.1K

$3,670 $3,670

-88.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,679

$2,525 $2,525

-87.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

$7,617 $7,617

-73.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

$3,199 $3,199

-36.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 ZWL 8,161

$5,105 $5,105

-94.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

120.91%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 58.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 128% $226

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$107 14.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 1087% $1.2K

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 281% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$61 8.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 110% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 67.8% $35

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 23.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Bulawayo and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1571% 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: $30.00 in Bulawayo vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $403 per month, with Bulawayo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

05:23 5:23 AM

7 h behind Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

974,447

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

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).

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

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Austin, TX 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Austin, TX

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

Bulawayo vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bulawayo wins on cost – living expenses run 254% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bulawayo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1571% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $176 in Bulawayo versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $763 per month in Bulawayo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 254% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bulawayo runs roughly 33% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $763 in Bulawayo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bulawayo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bulawayo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bulawayo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 254% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.