Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
Learn more

Bulawayo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Bansko

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 Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $763 per month in Bulawayo vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Bulawayo $763
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,192
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,622
Bansko $1,957

Bulawayo is about 21% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bulawayo and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 43% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-47.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ZWL 809

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ZWL 131

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-45.73%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-6.70%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-65.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-56.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

$2.00 BGN 3.51

1.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

$0.81 BGN 1.42

24.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

$1.52 BGN 2.66

1.97%

Eggs

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-16.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 ZWL 256

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ZWL 107

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-36.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.46 ZWL 119

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-48.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

$1.28 BGN 2.24

44.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

$1.70 BGN 2.98

42.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-44.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

$0.93 BGN 1.63

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

$0.76 BGN 1.32

82.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

$0.54 BGN 0.95

103.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

$0.58 BGN 1.02

29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-55.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$5.14 BGN 9.00

-0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

$1.11 BGN 1.94

21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

$1.70 BGN 2.97

8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 ZWL 816

$26.76 BGN 46.83

14.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$1.29 BGN 2.26

127.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$0.65 BGN 1.14

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 135

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-50.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

$1.50 BGN 2.63

9.33%

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

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-14.70%

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

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

14.79%

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

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

$91.4 BGN 160

4.27%

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

$17.21 ZWL 460

$14.68 BGN 25.68

17.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 ZWL 2,816

$12.07 BGN 21.12

773.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 ZWL 845

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-2.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 ZWL 536

$8.60 BGN 15.05

133.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 ZWL 263

$5.63 BGN 9.86

75.13%

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

$231 ZWL 6,175

$228 BGN 400

1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

51.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.96 ZWL 560

$30.48 BGN 53.3

-31.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.58 ZWL 309

$19.01 BGN 33.26

-39.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$45.53 BGN 79.7

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

$48.67 BGN 85.2

19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,695

$521 BGN 913

-66.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ZWL 2,863

$367 BGN 643

-70.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ZWL 11.1K

$634 BGN 1,110

-34.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,679

$558 BGN 976

-41.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

70.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

$971 BGN 1,699

110.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 ZWL 8,161

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-81.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

401.67%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 45.8% $100

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Bansko

$193 20% 9% $16

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$107 14.2%

Bansko

$367 38% 243% $260

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Bansko

$145 15% 59.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$61 8.1%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 5.6% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 15.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 24.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Bulawayo versus $521 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 447% higher in Bansko, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bulawayo versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $193 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h ahead of Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

8,000

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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 = 29.96 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Bansko 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $763 in Bulawayo, $970 in Bansko – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,144 per month in Bulawayo and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulawayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bulawayo and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $763 in Bulawayo and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $763, than in Bansko at $970. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $763 in Bulawayo to $970 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bulawayo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.