Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Harare

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $756 a month against $1,021 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$756

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Harare

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

A single person spends $756 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,021 in Harare, rent included.

Bulawayo $756
Harare $1,021

A couple spends around $1,206 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,695 in Harare, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,206
Harare $1,695

A family of three spends $1,656 per month in Bulawayo vs $2,368 in Harare, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,656
Harare $2,368

Bulawayo is about 26% cheaper than Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bulawayo and Harare are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 44% lower, Harare 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$9.96 ZWL 265

-54.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.79 ZWL 793

$45.84 ZWL 1,220

-35.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.14 ZWL 137

$5.87 ZWL 156

-12.44%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.7

$3.07 ZWL 81.7

-31.92%

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

$0.49 ZWL 13.01

$0.93 ZWL 24.65

-47.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ZWL 10.48

$0.49 ZWL 13.10

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

$1.28 ZWL 34.04

18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ZWL 53.5

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

2.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.15

$1.50 ZWL 39.90

10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

$0.97 ZWL 25.89

1.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ZWL 40.81

$1.70 ZWL 45.34

-10.00%

Eggs

$1.92 ZWL 51.1

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

1.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 ZWL 253

$11.40 ZWL 303

-16.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.83 ZWL 102

$5.58 ZWL 148

-31.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.48 ZWL 119

$6.35 ZWL 169

-29.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.87

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

-39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ZWL 42.23

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

-2.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 ZWL 66.1

$2.08 ZWL 55.2

19.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 ZWL 26.69

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

-34.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.10

$1.69 ZWL 44.88

-24.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ZWL 36.34

$1.75 ZWL 46.51

-21.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ZWL 30.13

$1.30 ZWL 34.48

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ZWL 21.11

$0.95 ZWL 25.26

-16.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$2.04 ZWL 54.4

-27.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 ZWL 132

$8.12 ZWL 216

-38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

$1.32 ZWL 35.25

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ZWL 50.8

$1.99 ZWL 52.9

-4.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ZWL 19.67

$1.03 ZWL 27.37

-28.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.32 ZWL 807

$60.1 ZWL 1,600

-49.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

$4.06 ZWL 108

-28.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

$2.01 ZWL 53.6

-1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 ZWL 135

$4.85 ZWL 129

4.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 ZWL 44.98

$1.80 ZWL 47.89

-6.11%

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

$25.0K ZWL 665.1K

$21.8K ZWL 580.4K

14.59%

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

$25.1K ZWL 668.8K

$27.6K ZWL 734.5K

-8.94%

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

$96.2 ZWL 2,560

$50.8 ZWL 1,352

89.35%

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

$17.34 ZWL 461

$21.38 ZWL 569

-18.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$108 ZWL 2,880

$70.3 ZWL 1,870

54.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.72 ZWL 817

$48.57 ZWL 1,293

-36.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.79 ZWL 527

$22.24 ZWL 592

-11.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 ZWL 271

$10.12 ZWL 269

0.69%

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

$233 ZWL 6,197

$428 ZWL 11.4K

-45.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,474 ZWL 92.4K

$8,559 ZWL 227.8K

-59.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.00 ZWL 559

$22.89 ZWL 609

-8.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.75 ZWL 313

$20.95 ZWL 558

-43.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.44 ZWL 1,236

$38.61 ZWL 1,027

20.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.7 ZWL 1,562

$39.85 ZWL 1,060

47.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$173 ZWL 4,590

$383 ZWL 10.2K

-54.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 ZWL 2,830

$314 ZWL 8,350

-66.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ZWL 10.9K

$830 ZWL 22.1K

-50.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,646

$736 ZWL 19.6K

-55.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,058 ZWL 54.8K

$915 ZWL 24.4K

124.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,992 ZWL 53.0K

$387 ZWL 10.3K

414.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 ZWL 8,062

$413 ZWL 11.0K

-26.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

9.57%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$222 29.3%

Harare

$142 14% 35.8% $79

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$176 23.3%

Harare

$213 20.8% 20.7% $36

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$106 14.1%

Harare

$314 30.7% 195% $207

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$92 12.2%

Harare

$150 14.7% 62.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$62 8.2%

Harare

$55 5.4% 11.3% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Harare

$69 6.7% 34.6% $18

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.1%

Harare

$78 7.7% 70.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $173 in Bulawayo versus $383 in Harare. 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 36% higher in Harare, 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 $46.00 in Harare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $213 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

Same time as Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

1,606,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bulawayo Harare 370 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 Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Harare is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,134 per month in Bulawayo and $1,532 in Harare. 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 $756 in Bulawayo and $1,021 in Harare. That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 98% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $756, than in Harare at $1,021. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harare 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Harare makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.