Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Belgrade

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.

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

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Belgrade

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

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

  • Bulawayo $753
  • Belgrade $1,541

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

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

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

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

Bulawayo is about 51% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.56 ZWL 121
$13.43 RSD 1,398
-66.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.25 ZWL 803
$58.0 RSD 6,036
-47.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.93 ZWL 131
$13.30 RSD 1,384
-62.93%
Cappuccino
$2.09 ZWL 55.4
$3.05 RSD 317
-31.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ZWL 12.68
$2.82 RSD 293
-82.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ZWL 10.47
$2.28 RSD 238
-82.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.48 ZWL 39.40
$3.66 RSD 381
-59.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 ZWL 53.6
$4.18 RSD 435
-51.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 ZWL 42.45
$1.41 RSD 147
13.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 ZWL 27.10
$1.16 RSD 121
-12.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 ZWL 40.37
$2.53 RSD 263
-39.92%
Eggs
$1.82 ZWL 48.24
$2.80 RSD 292
-35.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 ZWL 258
$10.93 RSD 1,137
-11.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.85 ZWL 102
$6.80 RSD 708
-43.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.51 ZWL 120
$15.40 RSD 1,603
-70.71%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 ZWL 49.74
$1.63 RSD 170
14.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 ZWL 40.80
$1.75 RSD 182
-12.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.52 ZWL 66.8
$1.78 RSD 186
41.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.02 ZWL 27.07
$3.04 RSD 316
-66.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 ZWL 32.39
$0.97 RSD 101
25.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ZWL 36.28
$0.65 RSD 67.7
110.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ZWL 30.49
$0.74 RSD 77.2
55.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 ZWL 20.03
$0.72 RSD 75.3
4.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.54 ZWL 40.87
$4.53 RSD 471
-66.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.05 ZWL 134
$8.25 RSD 858
-38.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 ZWL 36.92
$0.86 RSD 89.8
61.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 ZWL 49.07
$1.43 RSD 148
29.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Bulawayo
Belgrade
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)
$3.02 ZWL 80.1
$3.10 RSD 323
-2.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.94 ZWL 51.5
$0.98 RSD 102
97.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.14 ZWL 137
$17.10 RSD 1,780
-69.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 ZWL 44.63
$1.87 RSD 195
-10.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.5K ZWL 650.3K
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
-20.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K ZWL 661.7K
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
3.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.5 ZWL 2,508
$215 RSD 22.4K
-56.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.77 ZWL 472
$25.55 RSD 2,659
-30.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$106 ZWL 2,807
$35.40 RSD 3,685
198.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.88 ZWL 820
$40.62 RSD 4,228
-23.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.80 ZWL 526
$22.74 RSD 2,367
-12.93%
Cinema Ticket
$10.20 ZWL 271
$7.99 RSD 832
27.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$229 ZWL 6,088
$453 RSD 47.2K
-49.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,490 ZWL 92.6K
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
-71.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.65 ZWL 574
$112 RSD 11.6K
-80.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$11.60 ZWL 308
$47.56 RSD 4,951
-75.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.10 ZWL 1,250
$114 RSD 11.8K
-58.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.1 ZWL 1,567
$147 RSD 15.3K
-59.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$172 ZWL 4,566
$829 RSD 86.3K
-79.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$108 ZWL 2,855
$540 RSD 56.2K
-80.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$412 ZWL 10.9K
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
-72.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$320 ZWL 8,497
$975 RSD 101.5K
-67.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,116 ZWL 56.2K
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
-58.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,069 ZWL 54.9K
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
-34.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bulawayo
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$305 ZWL 8,094
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
-76.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
4.5
233.33%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bulawayo
$218
Belgrade
$276 26.4% $58
Groceries & Markets
Bulawayo
$176
Belgrade
$241 36.6% $65
Accommodation & Living
Bulawayo
$108
Belgrade
$540 402% $433
Eating Out
Bulawayo
$91
Belgrade
$231 153% $140
Clothing & Footwear
Bulawayo
$63
Belgrade
$189 201% $126
Sport & Entertainment
Bulawayo
$51
Belgrade
$57 10.4% $5.3
Getting Around
Bulawayo
$46
Belgrade
$8 * 82.6% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Bulawayo versus $829 in Belgrade. 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 $30 in Bulawayo versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $241 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇼 Bulawayo
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
01:23 1:23 AM
00:23 12:23 AM
1 h behind Bulawayo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
653,337
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.79 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bulawayo Belgrade 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bulawayo
  • Belgrade

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 Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Bulawayo and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $753 in Bulawayo, $1,541 in Belgrade – Bulawayo comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Bulawayo compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,129 per month in Bulawayo and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Bulawayo and Belgrade?
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 $30 in Bulawayo and $58 in Belgrade. 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: Bulawayo or Belgrade?
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 Bulawayo and Belgrade?
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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