Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Gweru

For one person, living is cheaper in Gweru: $602 a month against $753 in Bulawayo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Gweru
Learn more

Gweru Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$753

/mo nomad

Gweru

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Gweru

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Bulawayo vs $602 in Gweru, rent included.

Bulawayo $753
Gweru $602

A couple spends around $1,201 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,080 in Gweru, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,201
Gweru $1,080

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,557 in Gweru, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,650
Gweru $1,557

Bulawayo costs about 25% more than Gweru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bulawayo and Gweru are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 44% lower, Gweru 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ZWL 121

$3.79 ZWL 101

20.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.25 ZWL 803

$45.06 ZWL 1,197

-32.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$5.66 ZWL 150

-12.90%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.4

$2.97 ZWL 79.0

-29.63%

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

$0.48 ZWL 12.69

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ZWL 10.48

$0.41 ZWL 11.00

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

20.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZWL 42.48

$1.53 ZWL 40.60

4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.12

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.40

$1.61 ZWL 42.79

-5.59%

Eggs

$1.82 ZWL 48.27

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

-5.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ZWL 258

$11.52 ZWL 306

-15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ZWL 102

$3.90 ZWL 104

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.51 ZWL 120

$5.34 ZWL 142

-15.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ZWL 49.78

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

-5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ZWL 40.83

$1.62 ZWL 43.07

-4.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ZWL 66.9

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

24.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ZWL 27.09

$0.99 ZWL 26.22

3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ZWL 32.41

$1.75 ZWL 46.35

-30.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ZWL 36.30

$1.01 ZWL 26.84

35.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.51

$1.32 ZWL 35.08

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 20.04

$0.92 ZWL 24.53

-18.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 40.90

$1.74 ZWL 46.16

-11.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$8.16 ZWL 217

-38.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ZWL 36.95

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.11

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

3.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ZWL 20.88

$0.48 ZWL 12.62

64.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.12 ZWL 800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

$3.93 ZWL 104

-23.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 ZWL 51.5

$0.87 ZWL 23.07

122.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ZWL 137

$5.12 ZWL 136

0.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 ZWL 44.67

$1.59 ZWL 42.31

5.66%

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

$24.5K ZWL 650.8K

$21.9K ZWL 581.5K

11.93%

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

$24.9K ZWL 662.2K

$27.9K ZWL 740.2K

-10.54%

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

$94.5 ZWL 2,510

$29.63 ZWL 787

218.93%

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

$17.77 ZWL 472

$17.19 ZWL 457

3.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 ZWL 2,809

$72.8 ZWL 1,933

45.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.88 ZWL 820

$39.66 ZWL 1,053

-22.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 ZWL 526

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

894.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 ZWL 271

$10.10 ZWL 268

0.99%

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

$229 ZWL 6,092

$247 ZWL 6,571

-7.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,490 ZWL 92.7K

$5,713 ZWL 151.7K

-38.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.65 ZWL 575

$21.74 ZWL 577

-0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.60 ZWL 308

$20.03 ZWL 532

-42.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.10 ZWL 1,251

$36.69 ZWL 975

28.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ZWL 1,568

$40.87 ZWL 1,085

44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,570

$148 ZWL 3,926

16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 ZWL 2,858

$69.5 ZWL 1,846

54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ZWL 11.0K

$557 ZWL 14.8K

-25.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ZWL 8,503

$305 ZWL 8,098

5.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,116 ZWL 56.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,069 ZWL 55.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$305 ZWL 8,100

$246 ZWL 6,532

24.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

114.29%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Gweru: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Gweru

$120 19.9% 45.1% $98

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$176 23.4%

Gweru

$193 32% 9.5% $17

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$108 14.3%

Gweru

$70 11.5% 35.4% $38

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Gweru

$96 16% 5.6% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$63 8.3%

Gweru

$54 8.9% 14.4% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Gweru

$60 9.9% 16.8% $8.6

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.1%

Gweru

$10 * 1.7% 77.9% $36

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 $148 in Gweru. 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 24% higher in Bulawayo, 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 in Bulawayo versus $45 in Gweru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $193 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Gweru

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

141,260

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bulawayo Gweru 150 km

From you

Bulawayo
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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 Gweru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,129 per month in Bulawayo and $903 in Gweru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gweru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $148 there versus $172 in Bulawayo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $753 in Bulawayo and $602 in Gweru. That makes Gweru about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Bulawayo and $247 in Gweru. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $753 in Bulawayo and $602 in Gweru, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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