Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
Learn more

Bulawayo Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Bulawayo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubai and in Bulawayo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $763 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Bulawayo $763

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $1,192 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Bulawayo $1,192

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $1,622 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Bulawayo $1,622

Dubai costs about 274% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Bulawayo is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$4.58 ZWL 122

184.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$30.29 ZWL 809

168.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$4.89 ZWL 131

90.59%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

185.65%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

213.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

118.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

828.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

559.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

55.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

60.65%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

71.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$9.59 ZWL 256

32.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$4.02 ZWL 107

142.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$4.46 ZWL 119

195.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

41.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

-20.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

-8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

-27.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

37.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

-17.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

279.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.10 ZWL 136

216.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

96.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

59.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

112.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$30.55 ZWL 816

140.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

7.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

-63.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$5.04 ZWL 135

57.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

-39.63%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

11.39%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

-8.46%

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

$250 AED 920

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

162.64%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$17.21 ZWL 460

215.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$105 ZWL 2,816

-12.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$31.62 ZWL 845

211.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$20.07 ZWL 536

112.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$9.86 ZWL 263

62.58%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$231 ZWL 6,175

264.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

419.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$20.96 ZWL 560

224.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$11.58 ZWL 309

399.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

120.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

74.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$176 ZWL 4,695

1253.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$107 ZWL 2,863

1304.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$414 ZWL 11.1K

970.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$325 ZWL 8,679

826.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

246.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

102.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$306 ZWL 8,161

1009.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-69.73%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Bulawayo

$107 14.2% 92.9% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 45% $178

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 70.4% $217

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Bulawayo

$177 23.5% 39.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Bulawayo

$61 8.1% 58.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 60.7% $79

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Bulawayo

$46 6.2% 46.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $176 in Bulawayo. 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 1010% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $30.00 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $177 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

653,337

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.96 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Bulawayo 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Bulawayo

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

Dubai vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 274%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $1,144 in Bulawayo. 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 $2,854 in Dubai and $763 in Bulawayo. That's a gap of about 274%.

Public transport costs about 141% 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 $763, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai 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, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.