Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
Learn more

Bulawayo Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $763 in Bulawayo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Bulawayo $763
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,192 in Bulawayo versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Bulawayo $1,192
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,622 in Bulawayo versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Bulawayo $1,622
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Bulawayo costs roughly 55% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bulawayo is 43% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-75.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ZWL 809

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-53.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ZWL 131

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-62.03%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-47.49%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-74.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-76.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-61.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-55.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

$1.44 ARS 2,180

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-58.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

$1.63 ARS 2,466

-4.91%

Eggs

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-33.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 ZWL 256

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-9.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ZWL 107

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-59.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.46 ZWL 119

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-67.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-26.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

$1.45 ARS 2,204

66.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

$1.24 ARS 1,884

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

$1.27 ARS 1,920

9.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-56.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-63.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$5.80 ARS 8,787

-12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-35.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-33.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

$0.75 ARS 1,131

2.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 ZWL 816

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

12.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$1.62 ARS 2,450

81.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$0.98 ARS 1,480

98.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 135

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-34.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

$1.36 ARS 2,057

20.59%

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

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-12.27%

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

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-28.69%

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

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

$216 ARS 326.8K

-55.77%

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

$17.21 ZWL 460

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-32.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 ZWL 2,816

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

236.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 ZWL 845

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-36.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 ZWL 536

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

17.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 ZWL 263

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-5.47%

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

$231 ZWL 6,175

$466 ARS 706.5K

-50.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-61.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.96 ZWL 560

$122 ARS 185.1K

-82.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.58 ZWL 309

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-88.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$117 ARS 177.3K

-61.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

$140 ARS 211.8K

-58.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,695

$763 ARS 1.2M

-76.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ZWL 2,863

$505 ARS 765.8K

-78.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ZWL 11.1K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-74.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,679

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-72.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-23.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

10.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 ZWL 8,161

$954 ARS 1.4M

-67.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-73.80%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 25% $55

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 60.4% $107

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$107 14.2%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 371% $398

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 205% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$61 8.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 250% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 37.7% $19

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 20.9% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Bulawayo and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 212% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $284 per month, with Bulawayo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

5 h behind Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Buenos Aires 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bulawayo and Buenos Aires differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($763 vs $1,685 including rent). Bulawayo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 212% lower in Buenos Aires. 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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $231 in Bulawayo versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $763 in Bulawayo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bulawayo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Bulawayo and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bulawayo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.