Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $747 a month against $788 in Mutare, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mutare outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$747

/mo nomad

Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Mutare

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

A single person spends $747 per month in Bulawayo vs $788 in Mutare, rent included.

Bulawayo $747
Mutare $788

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,219 in Mutare, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,194
Mutare $1,219

A family of three spends $1,642 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,649 in Mutare, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,642
Mutare $1,649

Bulawayo is about 5% cheaper than Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bulawayo and Mutare are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 45% lower, Mutare 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ZWL 116

$9.85 ZWL 262

-55.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.90 ZWL 795

$44.40 ZWL 1,180

-32.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$4.42 ZWL 118

15.38%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ZWL 56.8

$1.26 ZWL 33.54

69.84%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.79

$0.78 ZWL 20.65

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ZWL 9.59

$0.47 ZWL 12.45

-23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ZWL 38.92

$1.27 ZWL 33.67

14.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$1.82 ZWL 48.43

8.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

$1.24 ZWL 32.82

31.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.05

$0.99 ZWL 26.28

-1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.16

$1.32 ZWL 35.07

17.42%

Eggs

$1.86 ZWL 49.36

$1.92 ZWL 51.0

-3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ZWL 250

$2.92 ZWL 77.6

222.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 ZWL 102

$3.93 ZWL 105

-2.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.60 ZWL 122

$5.06 ZWL 135

-9.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.79

$2.03 ZWL 54.1

-11.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.15

$1.63 ZWL 43.30

-4.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ZWL 63.8

$2.05 ZWL 54.5

17.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.65

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

2.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ZWL 33.50

$1.68 ZWL 44.57

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ZWL 38.16

$1.01 ZWL 26.92

42.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.27

$0.49 ZWL 12.92

124.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ZWL 20.45

$0.99 ZWL 26.23

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ZWL 40.16

$1.22 ZWL 32.49

23.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 ZWL 133

$6.07 ZWL 161

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ZWL 36.09

$1.18 ZWL 31.24

15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ZWL 48.67

$1.67 ZWL 44.32

9.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZWL 19.06

$0.72 ZWL 19.14

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.51 ZWL 784

$27.43 ZWL 729

7.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ZWL 81.2

$2.93 ZWL 77.8

4.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

$2.05 ZWL 54.5

-3.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ZWL 134

$5.12 ZWL 136

-1.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 ZWL 44.95

$1.87 ZWL 49.70

-9.63%

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

$25.1K ZWL 667.3K

$21.6K ZWL 574.6K

16.14%

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

$25.4K ZWL 674.8K

$24.3K ZWL 644.7K

4.66%

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

$93.0 ZWL 2,472

$50.6 ZWL 1,345

83.76%

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

$17.52 ZWL 466

$15.24 ZWL 405

14.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$107 ZWL 2,831

$59.9 ZWL 1,593

77.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.99 ZWL 823

$40.31 ZWL 1,071

-23.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.38 ZWL 542

$5.08 ZWL 135

301.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 ZWL 268

$9.82 ZWL 261

2.75%

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

$228 ZWL 6,051

$145 ZWL 3,845

57.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,484 ZWL 92.6K

$8,600 ZWL 228.5K

-59.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.95 ZWL 557

$10.09 ZWL 268

107.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.80 ZWL 314

$9.34 ZWL 248

26.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.98 ZWL 1,248

$24.86 ZWL 661

88.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 ZWL 1,536

$20.32 ZWL 540

184.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,573

$349 ZWL 9,281

-50.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 ZWL 2,803

$254 ZWL 6,741

-58.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ZWL 10.8K

$753 ZWL 20.0K

-46.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ZWL 8,574

$400 ZWL 10.6K

-19.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ZWL 54.8K

$247 ZWL 6,559

734.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 ZWL 54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 ZWL 8,056

$251 ZWL 6,658

20.99%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Mutare: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$217 29.1%

Mutare

$126 16% 42.1% $91

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$175 23.4%

Mutare

$154 19.6% 11.8% $21

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$106 14.1%

Mutare

$254 32.2% 141% $148

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.2%

Mutare

$122 15.5% 34.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$62 8.3%

Mutare

$29 3.7% 53% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.9%

Mutare

$60 7.6% 17.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$45 6.1%

Mutare

$43 5.5% 4.1% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Bulawayo versus $349 in Mutare. 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 21% higher in Bulawayo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Bulawayo versus $44 in Mutare. Groceries tell a different story – $175 in Bulawayo vs $154 in Mutare – so Mutare wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Mutare

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

Same time as Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

188,243

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bulawayo Mutare 450 km

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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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mutare is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,120 per month in Bulawayo and $1,183 in Mutare. 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 $349 in Mutare.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $747 in Bulawayo and $788 in Mutare. That makes Bulawayo about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Mutare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $747 in Bulawayo and $788 in Mutare, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.