Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $753 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$753

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Lisbon

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Bulawayo vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bulawayo $753
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Bulawayo vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,197
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $1,641 per month in Bulawayo vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,641
Lisbon $4,346

Bulawayo is about 66% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bulawayo sits 44% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 ZWL 116

$17.04 €15.15

-74.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.55 ZWL 786

$62.3 €55.4

-52.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ZWL 131

$11.02 €9.80

-55.35%

Cappuccino

$2.07 ZWL 55.0

$3.12 €2.78

-33.65%

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

$0.49 ZWL 13.03

$2.27 €2.02

-78.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.80

$1.74 €1.55

-78.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ZWL 40.45

$3.42 €3.04

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ZWL 54.7

$3.74 €3.33

-45.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZWL 44.60

$1.17 €1.04

43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.25

$1.86 €1.66

-45.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.16

$1.54 €1.37

0.65%

Eggs

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

$4.06 €3.61

-52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 ZWL 256

$12.91 €11.49

-25.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 ZWL 102

$7.90 €7.03

-51.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.43 ZWL 118

$17.64 €15.69

-74.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ZWL 49.79

$2.26 €2.01

-17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ZWL 41.00

$1.75 €1.55

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 ZWL 66.1

$1.89 €1.68

31.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ZWL 27.97

$2.56 €2.27

-58.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 33.99

$1.85 €1.64

-30.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 ZWL 38.15

$1.97 €1.75

-27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ZWL 30.26

$1.45 €1.29

-21.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ZWL 19.73

$0.77 €0.69

-3.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.08

$6.71 €5.97

-77.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$5.67 €5.04

-13.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ZWL 37.30

$1.37 €1.22

2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

$2.11 €1.88

-9.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZWL 19.55

$2.32 €2.07

-68.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 ZWL 812

$44.43 €39.52

-31.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 ZWL 79.1

$3.95 €3.51

-24.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

$1.05 €0.93

87.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 ZWL 129

$17.15 €15.26

-71.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 ZWL 44.33

$2.19 €1.95

-23.74%

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

$25.0K ZWL 666.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

-25.86%

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

$25.2K ZWL 670.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-34.16%

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

$96.0 ZWL 2,553

$164 €146

-41.43%

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

$17.53 ZWL 467

$18.48 €16.43

-5.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$107 ZWL 2,854

$32.96 €29.32

225.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.10 ZWL 828

$45.87 €40.80

-32.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ZWL 526

$18.68 €16.61

5.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 ZWL 271

$9.75 €8.67

4.41%

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

$229 ZWL 6,086

$684 €608

-66.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,517 ZWL 93.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

-80.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.08 ZWL 561

$104 €92.3

-79.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.71 ZWL 311

$46.20 €41.09

-74.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.35 ZWL 1,207

$99.7 €88.7

-54.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

$125 €111

-52.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,689

$1,589 €1,414

-88.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 ZWL 2,828

$1,169 €1,040

-90.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ZWL 11.0K

$2,851 €2,536

-85.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ZWL 8,376

$1,993 €1,773

-84.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,134 ZWL 56.8K

$7,793 €6,932

-72.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,002 ZWL 53.3K

$4,418 €3,930

-54.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 ZWL 8,035

$1,600 €1,423

-81.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

289.61%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$221 29.3%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 2.5% $5.5

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 54.5% $96

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$106 14.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 1000% $1.1K

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$90 11.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 176% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$62 8.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 172% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Lisbon

$65 3% 27% $14

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 35.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Bulawayo versus $1,589 in Lisbon. 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 430% higher in Lisbon, 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 $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $273 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h behind Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bulawayo Lisbon 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 192%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,130 per month in Bulawayo and $3,302 in Lisbon. 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 $753 in Bulawayo and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 192%.

Public transport costs about 46% 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 $753, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon 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.

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