Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gweru and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Gweru: $602 a month against $753 in Bulawayo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Gweru
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Gweru Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index

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Gweru

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$602

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gweru 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 Gweru and in Bulawayo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $602 per month in Gweru vs $753 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Gweru $602
Bulawayo $753

A couple spends around $1,080 per month in Gweru vs $1,201 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Gweru $1,080
Bulawayo $1,201

A family of three spends $1,557 per month in Gweru vs $1,650 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Gweru $1,557
Bulawayo $1,650

Gweru is about 20% cheaper than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gweru and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Gweru 55% lower, Bulawayo 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ZWL 101

$4.56 ZWL 121

-16.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.06 ZWL 1,197

$30.25 ZWL 803

48.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 ZWL 150

$4.93 ZWL 131

14.81%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ZWL 79.0

$2.09 ZWL 55.4

42.11%

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

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

$0.48 ZWL 12.69

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 ZWL 11.00

$0.39 ZWL 10.48

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

-13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

-17.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ZWL 40.60

$1.60 ZWL 42.48

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

$1.02 ZWL 27.12

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.79

$1.52 ZWL 40.40

5.92%

Eggs

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

$1.82 ZWL 48.27

6.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 ZWL 306

$9.72 ZWL 258

18.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.90 ZWL 104

$3.85 ZWL 102

1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 ZWL 142

$4.51 ZWL 120

18.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$1.87 ZWL 49.78

5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 43.07

$1.54 ZWL 40.83

5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

$2.52 ZWL 66.9

-19.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ZWL 26.22

$1.02 ZWL 27.09

-2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.35

$1.22 ZWL 32.41

43.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ZWL 26.84

$1.37 ZWL 36.30

-26.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ZWL 35.08

$1.15 ZWL 30.51

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ZWL 24.53

$0.75 ZWL 20.04

22.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.74 ZWL 46.16

$1.54 ZWL 40.90

12.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 ZWL 217

$5.05 ZWL 134

61.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

$1.39 ZWL 36.95

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$1.85 ZWL 49.11

-3.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ZWL 12.62

$0.79 ZWL 20.88

-39.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.12 ZWL 800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ZWL 104

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ZWL 23.07

$1.94 ZWL 51.5

-55.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$5.14 ZWL 137

-0.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 ZWL 42.31

$1.68 ZWL 44.67

-5.36%

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

$21.9K ZWL 581.5K

$24.5K ZWL 650.8K

-10.66%

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

$27.9K ZWL 740.2K

$24.9K ZWL 662.2K

11.78%

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

$29.63 ZWL 787

$94.5 ZWL 2,510

-68.65%

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

$17.19 ZWL 457

$17.77 ZWL 472

-3.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 ZWL 1,933

$106 ZWL 2,809

-31.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 ZWL 1,053

$30.88 ZWL 820

28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$19.80 ZWL 526

-89.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 ZWL 268

$10.20 ZWL 271

-0.98%

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

$247 ZWL 6,571

$229 ZWL 6,092

7.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 ZWL 151.7K

$3,490 ZWL 92.7K

63.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.74 ZWL 577

$21.65 ZWL 575

0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.03 ZWL 532

$11.60 ZWL 308

72.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.69 ZWL 975

$47.10 ZWL 1,251

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.87 ZWL 1,085

$59.1 ZWL 1,568

-30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ZWL 3,926

$172 ZWL 4,570

-14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.5 ZWL 1,846

$108 ZWL 2,858

-35.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$412 ZWL 11.0K

34.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ZWL 8,098

$320 ZWL 8,503

-4.77%

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)

$246 ZWL 6,532

$305 ZWL 8,100

-19.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-53.33%

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

Last update for Gweru: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gweru

$193 32%

Bulawayo

$176 23.4% 8.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gweru

$120 19.9%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 82.3% $98

Eating Out

Gweru

$96 16%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 5.3% $5.1

Accommodation & Living

Gweru

$70 11.5%

Bulawayo

$108 14.3% 54.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Gweru

$60 9.9%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 14.4% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Gweru

$54 8.9%

Bulawayo

$63 8.3% 16.8% $9

Getting Around

Gweru

$10 * 1.7%

Bulawayo

$46 6.1% 352% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $148 in Gweru versus $172 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 24% higher in Bulawayo, 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 $45 in Gweru versus $30 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $176 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Gweru

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

Same time as Gweru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,260

653,337

💱 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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Gweru Bulawayo 150 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

Gweru vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bulawayo is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $903 per month in Gweru and $1,129 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gweru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $148 there versus $172 in Bulawayo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $602 in Gweru and $753 in Bulawayo. That makes Gweru about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Gweru and $229 in Bulawayo. 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 $602 in Gweru and $753 in Bulawayo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Gweru. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bulawayo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.