Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $753 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$753

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Bulawayo $753
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $1,201 per month in Bulawayo vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,201
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Bulawayo vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,650
Budapest $3,488

Bulawayo is about 54% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bulawayo sits 44% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ZWL 121

$13.63 Ft 4,407

-66.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.25 ZWL 803

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

-50.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$10.02 Ft 3,239

-50.80%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.4

$3.33 Ft 1,075

-37.24%

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

$0.48 ZWL 12.68

$2.12 Ft 684

-77.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ZWL 10.47

$1.80 Ft 581

-78.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ZWL 39.40

$3.61 Ft 1,166

-59.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

$3.59 Ft 1,160

-43.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZWL 42.45

$1.12 Ft 361

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.10

$1.93 Ft 623

-47.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.37

$2.49 Ft 804

-38.96%

Eggs

$1.82 ZWL 48.24

$3.94 Ft 1,275

-53.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ZWL 258

$11.28 Ft 3,646

-13.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ZWL 102

$6.73 Ft 2,177

-42.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.51 ZWL 120

$14.44 Ft 4,670

-68.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ZWL 49.74

$1.86 Ft 601

0.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ZWL 40.80

$2.04 Ft 658

-24.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ZWL 66.8

$2.29 Ft 740

10.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ZWL 27.07

$3.99 Ft 1,290

-74.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ZWL 32.39

$0.94 Ft 304

29.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ZWL 36.28

$1.02 Ft 330

34.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.49

$1.65 Ft 534

-30.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 20.03

$0.68 Ft 221

10.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 40.87

$7.81 Ft 2,526

-80.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$6.02 Ft 1,946

-16.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ZWL 36.92

$1.29 Ft 418

7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.07

$2.02 Ft 655

-8.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ZWL 20.87

$1.50 Ft 484

-47.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.12 ZWL 799

$27.13 Ft 8,769

11.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ZWL 80.1

$3.36 Ft 1,085

-10.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 ZWL 51.5

$1.37 Ft 444

41.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ZWL 137

$19.96 Ft 6,451

-74.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 ZWL 44.63

$1.86 Ft 603

-9.68%

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

$24.5K ZWL 650.3K

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

-14.07%

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

$24.9K ZWL 661.7K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-25.31%

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

$94.5 ZWL 2,508

$178 Ft 57.6K

-46.96%

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

$17.77 ZWL 472

$23.58 Ft 7,623

-24.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 ZWL 2,807

$24.12 Ft 7,797

338.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.88 ZWL 820

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

-55.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 ZWL 526

$17.03 Ft 5,505

16.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 ZWL 271

$10.48 Ft 3,388

-2.67%

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

$229 ZWL 6,088

$625 Ft 202.1K

-63.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,490 ZWL 92.6K

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

-82.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.65 ZWL 574

$102 Ft 33.0K

-78.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.60 ZWL 308

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

-73.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.10 ZWL 1,250

$110 Ft 35.5K

-57.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ZWL 1,567

$121 Ft 39.0K

-51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,566

$845 Ft 273.3K

-79.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 ZWL 2,855

$638 Ft 206.4K

-83.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ZWL 10.9K

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

-74.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ZWL 8,497

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

-73.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,116 ZWL 56.2K

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

-61.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,069 ZWL 54.9K

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

-46.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$305 ZWL 8,094

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

-82.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

136.59%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 3.6% $7.8

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$176 23.4%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 47.6% $84

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$108 14.3%

Budapest

$638 38.8% 493% $531

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 141% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$63 8.3%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 170% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 76.8% $39

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.1%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 5.7% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Bulawayo versus $845 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Bulawayo versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $260 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

1 h behind Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bulawayo Budapest 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,129 per month in Bulawayo and $2,471 in Budapest. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Bulawayo and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $753, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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