Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gweru and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Gweru: $602 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Gweru

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$602

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gweru and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $602 per month in Gweru vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Gweru $602
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,080 per month in Gweru vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Gweru $1,080
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,557 per month in Gweru vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Gweru $1,557
Phuket $3,115

Gweru is about 53% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gweru and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Gweru 55% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ZWL 101

$4.39 ฿148

-13.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.06 ZWL 1,197

$32.31 ฿1,086

39.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 ZWL 150

$8.70 ฿293

-34.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ZWL 79.0

$2.72 ฿91.6

9.19%

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

$0.48 ZWL 12.86

$0.93 ฿31.28

-48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 ZWL 11.00

$0.50 ฿16.79

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

$2.53 ฿85.1

-49.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

$3.63 ฿122

-53.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ZWL 40.60

$1.74 ฿58.5

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

$1.45 ฿48.77

-30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ZWL 42.79

$1.50 ฿50.5

7.33%

Eggs

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

$2.17 ฿73.0

-11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 ZWL 306

$19.09 ฿642

-39.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.90 ZWL 104

$3.40 ฿114

14.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 ZWL 142

$10.90 ฿366

-51.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

$2.94 ฿98.9

-32.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ZWL 43.07

$1.69 ฿56.9

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

$2.19 ฿73.8

-7.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ZWL 26.22

$2.12 ฿71.4

-53.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.35

$1.46 ฿49.03

19.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ZWL 26.84

$1.37 ฿45.99

-26.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ZWL 35.08

$1.08 ฿36.17

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ZWL 24.53

$0.55 ฿18.34

67.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.74 ZWL 46.16

$4.43 ฿149

-60.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 ZWL 217

$18.25 ฿614

-55.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

$1.77 ฿59.6

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ZWL 47.24

$2.88 ฿96.8

-38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ZWL 12.62

$1.45 ฿48.66

-66.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ZWL 104

$1.51 ฿50.9

160.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ZWL 23.07

$0.78 ฿26.08

11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$3.84 ฿129

33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 ZWL 42.31

$1.49 ฿50.0

6.71%

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

$21.9K ZWL 581.5K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

-18.56%

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

$27.9K ZWL 740.2K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

5.78%

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

$29.63 ZWL 787

$97.8 ฿3,288

-69.71%

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

$17.19 ZWL 457

$11.29 ฿380

52.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 ZWL 1,933

$17.19 ฿578

323.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 ZWL 1,053

$68.3 ฿2,297

-41.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$10.92 ฿367

-81.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 ZWL 268

$7.43 ฿250

35.94%

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

$247 ZWL 6,571

$530 ฿17.8K

-53.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 ZWL 151.7K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-69.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.74 ZWL 577

$61.7 ฿2,073

-64.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.03 ZWL 532

$28.25 ฿950

-29.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.69 ZWL 975

$96.0 ฿3,228

-61.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.87 ZWL 1,085

$86.8 ฿2,919

-52.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ZWL 3,926

$721 ฿24.2K

-79.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.5 ZWL 1,846

$509 ฿17.1K

-86.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ZWL 14.8K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-71.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ZWL 8,098

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-78.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ZWL 6,532

$492 ฿16.5K

-49.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.67%

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

Last update for Gweru: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gweru

$193 32%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 38.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gweru

$120 19.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 5.6% $6.7

Eating Out

Gweru

$96 16%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 24.1% $23

Accommodation & Living

Gweru

$70 11.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 632% $439

Sport & Entertainment

Gweru

$60 9.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 39% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Gweru

$54 8.9%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 129% $69

Getting Around

Gweru

$10 * 1.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 550% $56

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 $721 in Phuket. 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 100% higher in Phuket, 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 $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Gweru vs $267 in Phuket – so Gweru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Gweru

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

5 h ahead of Gweru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,260

79,308

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 26.56 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.78 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gweru Phuket 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gweru
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $602 in Gweru, $1,294 in Phuket – Gweru comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $903 per month in Gweru and $1,940 in Phuket. 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 $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $602 in Gweru and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Gweru about 53% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Gweru and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Gweru, where all-in costs run around $602, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Gweru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gweru – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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