Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Cebu

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

A single person spends $763 per month in Bulawayo vs $934 in Cebu, rent included.

Bulawayo $763
Cebu $934

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,415 in Cebu, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,192
Cebu $1,415

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,896 in Cebu, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,622
Cebu $1,896

Bulawayo is about 18% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bulawayo and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 43% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$3.03 ₱191

51.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ZWL 809

$23.48 ₱1,476

29.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ZWL 131

$4.09 ₱257

19.56%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

$2.52 ₱158

-17.06%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

$1.54 ₱97.2

-66.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

$0.49 ₱31.06

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$1.79 ₱113

-17.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

$2.26 ₱142

-10.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

$1.95 ₱122

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

$1.43 ₱89.9

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

$1.02 ₱64.0

51.96%

Eggs

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

$2.06 ₱129

-7.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 ZWL 256

$9.81 ₱617

-2.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ZWL 107

$4.61 ₱290

-12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.46 ZWL 119

$7.70 ₱484

-42.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

$3.31 ₱208

-44.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

$1.45 ₱91.2

10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

$2.36 ₱148

2.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

$1.54 ₱96.6

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

$2.36 ₱148

-45.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

$1.99 ₱125

-30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

$1.15 ₱72.3

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

$0.67 ₱42.26

11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

$3.00 ₱189

-48.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$6.35 ₱399

-19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

$1.31 ₱82.1

3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

$1.73 ₱109

6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

$0.25 ₱15.82

208.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 ZWL 816

$12.65 ₱796

141.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$0.74 ₱46.44

297.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$0.21 ₱13.15

828.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 135

$4.33 ₱272

16.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

$1.33 ₱83.7

23.31%

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

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

12.91%

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

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

26.94%

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

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

$121 ₱7,583

-20.93%

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

$17.21 ZWL 460

$14.45 ₱909

19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 ZWL 2,816

$28.29 ₱1,779

272.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 ZWL 845

$32.68 ₱2,055

-3.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 ZWL 536

$6.39 ₱402

214.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 ZWL 263

$5.46 ₱343

80.59%

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

$231 ZWL 6,175

$273 ₱17.2K

-15.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

-56.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.96 ZWL 560

$49.57 ₱3,117

-57.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.58 ZWL 309

$24.87 ₱1,564

-53.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$76.6 ₱4,817

-40.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

$59.3 ₱3,727

-2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,695

$506 ₱31.8K

-65.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ZWL 2,863

$309 ₱19.5K

-65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ZWL 11.1K

$1,052 ₱66.1K

-60.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,679

$619 ₱38.9K

-47.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

$2,915 ₱183.4K

-29.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

$1,867 ₱117.4K

9.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 ZWL 8,161

$341 ₱21.5K

-10.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

108.33%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 25.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 18.8% $33

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$107 14.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 189% $202

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 3.3% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$61 8.1%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 54.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 15.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 66.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Bulawayo versus $506 in Cebu. 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 12% higher in Cebu, 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 $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bulawayo vs $210 in Cebu – so Bulawayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

6 h ahead of Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

964,169

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Cebu 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,144 per month in Bulawayo and $1,401 in Cebu. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $763 in Bulawayo and $934 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 142% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $763 in Bulawayo and $934 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

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, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.