Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $747 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$747

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $747 per month in Bulawayo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bulawayo $747
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,194
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,642 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,642
Chiang Mai $1,979

Bulawayo is about 20% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bulawayo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 45% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ZWL 116

$2.24 ฿75.7

95.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.90 ZWL 795

$19.00 ฿642

57.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$5.55 ฿188

-8.11%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ZWL 56.8

$1.67 ฿56.6

28.14%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.79

$0.64 ฿21.56

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ZWL 9.59

$0.31 ฿10.32

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ZWL 38.92

$2.36 ฿79.6

-38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$3.66 ฿124

-46.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

$1.95 ฿65.8

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.05

$1.44 ฿48.51

-31.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.16

$1.33 ฿45.07

16.54%

Eggs

$1.86 ZWL 49.36

$2.28 ฿77.1

-18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ZWL 250

$16.45 ฿556

-42.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 ZWL 102

$2.78 ฿94.0

37.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.60 ZWL 122

$9.31 ฿314

-50.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.79

$2.35 ฿79.5

-23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.15

$0.97 ฿32.82

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ZWL 63.8

$1.60 ฿53.9

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.65

$1.50 ฿50.7

-30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ZWL 33.50

$1.28 ฿43.15

-1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ZWL 38.16

$1.10 ฿37.22

30.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.27

$0.71 ฿23.84

54.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ZWL 20.45

$0.49 ฿16.38

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ZWL 40.16

$4.14 ฿140

-63.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 ZWL 133

$17.52 ฿592

-71.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ZWL 36.09

$1.61 ฿54.5

-15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ZWL 48.67

$2.78 ฿94.0

-34.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZWL 19.06

$0.87 ฿29.33

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.51 ZWL 784

$54.1 ฿1,827

-45.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ZWL 81.2

$1.16 ฿39.08

163.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

$0.53 ฿17.82

273.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ZWL 134

$2.42 ฿81.8

107.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 ZWL 44.95

$1.45 ฿48.93

16.55%

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

$25.1K ZWL 667.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

19.26%

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

$25.4K ZWL 674.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-5.73%

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

$93.0 ZWL 2,472

$62.2 ฿2,100

49.65%

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

$17.52 ZWL 466

$12.17 ฿411

43.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$107 ZWL 2,831

$20.12 ฿680

429.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.99 ZWL 823

$37.31 ฿1,260

-16.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.38 ZWL 542

$3.77 ฿127

440.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 ZWL 268

$6.49 ฿219

55.47%

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

$228 ZWL 6,051

$736 ฿24.9K

-69.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,484 ZWL 92.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-76.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.95 ZWL 557

$53.4 ฿1,802

-60.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.80 ZWL 314

$24.64 ฿832

-52.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.98 ZWL 1,248

$91.5 ฿3,089

-48.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 ZWL 1,536

$71.9 ฿2,429

-19.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,573

$482 ฿16.3K

-64.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 ZWL 2,803

$309 ฿10.4K

-65.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ZWL 10.8K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-59.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ZWL 8,574

$633 ฿21.4K

-49.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ZWL 54.8K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-12.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 ZWL 54.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

27.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 ZWL 8,056

$590 ฿19.9K

-48.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

169.30%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$217 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56.5% $123

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$175 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.1% $60

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$106 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 193% $203

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 14.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$62 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 75.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$45 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Bulawayo versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 95% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Bulawayo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $175 in Bulawayo vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Bulawayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

5 h ahead of Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

127,240

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Chiang Mai 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,120 per month in Bulawayo and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $747 in Bulawayo and $936 in Chiang Mai. That’s a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.