Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Masvingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $617 a month against $753 in Bulawayo, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bulawayo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$753

/mo nomad

Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Masvingo

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Bulawayo vs $617 in Masvingo, rent included.

Bulawayo $753
Masvingo $617

A couple spends around $1,201 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,025 in Masvingo, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,201
Masvingo $1,025

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,432 in Masvingo, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,650
Masvingo $1,432

Bulawayo costs about 22% more than Masvingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bulawayo and Masvingo are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 44% lower, Masvingo 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ZWL 121

$12.56 ZWL 334

-63.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.25 ZWL 803

$45.86 ZWL 1,218

-34.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$5.62 ZWL 149

-12.28%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.4

$3.04 ZWL 80.8

-31.25%

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

$0.48 ZWL 12.69

$0.84 ZWL 22.40

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ZWL 10.48

$0.42 ZWL 11.23

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

$1.23 ZWL 32.77

20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

1.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZWL 42.48

$1.52 ZWL 40.35

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.12

$0.99 ZWL 26.23

3.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.40

$1.60 ZWL 42.47

-5.00%

Eggs

$1.82 ZWL 48.27

$1.94 ZWL 51.4

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ZWL 258

$11.56 ZWL 307

-15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ZWL 102

$5.50 ZWL 146

-30.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.51 ZWL 120

$6.89 ZWL 183

-34.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ZWL 49.78

$3.17 ZWL 84.1

-41.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ZWL 40.83

$1.69 ZWL 44.92

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ZWL 66.9

$2.07 ZWL 54.9

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ZWL 27.09

$1.56 ZWL 41.46

-34.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ZWL 32.41

$1.70 ZWL 45.14

-28.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ZWL 36.30

$1.53 ZWL 40.51

-10.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZWL 30.51

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 20.04

$0.98 ZWL 26.16

-23.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 40.90

$1.79 ZWL 47.66

-13.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$8.31 ZWL 221

-39.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ZWL 36.95

$1.36 ZWL 36.17

2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.11

$1.86 ZWL 49.48

-0.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ZWL 20.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.12 ZWL 800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

$4.03 ZWL 107

-25.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 ZWL 51.5

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

-0.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ZWL 137

$4.93 ZWL 131

4.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 ZWL 44.67

$1.80 ZWL 47.71

-6.67%

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

$24.5K ZWL 650.8K

$21.8K ZWL 580.1K

12.19%

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

$24.9K ZWL 662.2K

$27.4K ZWL 728.1K

-9.05%

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

$94.5 ZWL 2,510

$50.7 ZWL 1,346

86.46%

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

$17.77 ZWL 472

$21.61 ZWL 574

-17.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 ZWL 2,809

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

47.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.88 ZWL 820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 ZWL 526

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 ZWL 271

$9.96 ZWL 265

2.41%

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

$229 ZWL 6,092

$420 ZWL 11.2K

-45.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,490 ZWL 92.7K

$16.9K ZWL 447.7K

-79.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.65 ZWL 575

$21.66 ZWL 575

-0.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.60 ZWL 308

$20.40 ZWL 542

-43.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.10 ZWL 1,251

$36.83 ZWL 978

27.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ZWL 1,568

$40.69 ZWL 1,081

45.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,570

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 ZWL 2,858

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ZWL 11.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ZWL 8,503

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

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Masvingo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Masvingo

$144 23.3% 34% $74

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$176 23.4%

Masvingo

$216 35.1% 22.9% $40

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$108 14.3%

Masvingo

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Masvingo

$169 27.4% 85.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$63 8.3%

Masvingo

$54 8.7% 14.2% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Masvingo

$20 * 3.2% 61.1% $31

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.1%

Masvingo

$14 * 2.2% 70.1% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Bulawayo versus $46 in Masvingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $216 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

Same time as Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

72,527

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Masvingo 230 km

From you

Bulawayo
Masvingo

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 Masvingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bulawayo is pricier by about 22%, 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 $925 in Masvingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $753 in Bulawayo and $617 in Masvingo. That makes Masvingo about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Bulawayo and $420 in Masvingo. 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 $617 in Masvingo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.