Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Shurugwi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $747 in Bulawayo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
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Shurugwi Living Index

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Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$747

/mo nomad

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulawayo and in Shurugwi

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

A single person spends $747 per month in Bulawayo vs $579 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Bulawayo $747
Shurugwi $579

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Bulawayo vs $951 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,194
Shurugwi $951

A family of three spends $1,642 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,322 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,642
Shurugwi $1,322

Bulawayo costs about 29% more than Shurugwi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bulawayo and Shurugwi are more affordable than the global median – Bulawayo 45% lower, Shurugwi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ZWL 116

$10.05 ZWL 267

-56.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.90 ZWL 795

$40.29 ZWL 1,071

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$5.92 ZWL 157

-13.85%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ZWL 56.8

$1.68 ZWL 44.73

27.38%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.79

$0.94 ZWL 24.85

-44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ZWL 9.59

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ZWL 38.92

$1.24 ZWL 32.92

17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

$2.05 ZWL 54.4

-3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

$1.49 ZWL 39.63

9.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.05

$0.98 ZWL 26.01

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.16

$1.63 ZWL 43.33

-4.91%

Eggs

$1.86 ZWL 49.36

$1.87 ZWL 49.76

-0.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ZWL 250

$11.30 ZWL 300

-16.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 ZWL 102

$5.33 ZWL 142

-28.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.60 ZWL 122

$6.38 ZWL 169

-27.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.79

$3.07 ZWL 81.6

-41.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.15

$1.71 ZWL 45.36

-9.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ZWL 63.8

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

18.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.65

$1.56 ZWL 41.57

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ZWL 33.50

$1.68 ZWL 44.63

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ZWL 38.16

$1.73 ZWL 45.85

-16.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.27

$1.27 ZWL 33.85

-13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ZWL 20.45

$0.96 ZWL 25.41

-19.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ZWL 40.16

$2.03 ZWL 53.8

-25.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 ZWL 133

$7.94 ZWL 211

-36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ZWL 36.09

$1.37 ZWL 36.44

-0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ZWL 48.67

$1.99 ZWL 53.0

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZWL 19.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.51 ZWL 784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ZWL 81.2

$3.95 ZWL 105

-22.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

-2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ZWL 134

$4.96 ZWL 132

1.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 ZWL 44.95

$1.78 ZWL 47.20

-5.06%

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

$25.1K ZWL 667.3K

$21.8K ZWL 579.4K

15.17%

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

$25.4K ZWL 674.8K

$27.5K ZWL 731.7K

-7.78%

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

$93.0 ZWL 2,472

$51.2 ZWL 1,360

81.83%

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

$17.52 ZWL 466

$21.80 ZWL 579

-19.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$107 ZWL 2,831

$70.2 ZWL 1,866

51.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.99 ZWL 823

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.38 ZWL 542

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 ZWL 268

$10.18 ZWL 270

-0.88%

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

$228 ZWL 6,051

$427 ZWL 11.3K

-46.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,484 ZWL 92.6K

$8,514 ZWL 226.2K

-59.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.95 ZWL 557

$22.86 ZWL 607

-8.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.80 ZWL 314

$20.80 ZWL 553

-43.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.98 ZWL 1,248

$39.27 ZWL 1,043

19.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 ZWL 1,536

$39.59 ZWL 1,052

46.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,573

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 ZWL 2,803

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ZWL 10.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ZWL 8,574

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ZWL 54.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 ZWL 54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 ZWL 8,056

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 Shurugwi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$217 29.1%

Shurugwi

$143 24.7% 34% $74

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$175 23.4%

Shurugwi

$212 36.6% 21.1% $37

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$106 14.1%

Shurugwi

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.2%

Shurugwi

$134 23.2% 48.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$62 8.3%

Shurugwi

$55 9.5% 10.9% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.9%

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5% 60.2% $31

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$45 6.1%

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.5% 68.8% $31

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 $40 in Shurugwi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $212 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

16,866

💱 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

On the map

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Bulawayo Shurugwi 160 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 Shurugwi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bulawayo is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,120 per month in Bulawayo and $868 in Shurugwi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $747 in Bulawayo and $579 in Shurugwi. That makes Shurugwi about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $228 per month in Bulawayo and $427 in Shurugwi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.