Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $756 a month against $1,021 in Harare, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index

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Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,021

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Harare vs $756 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Harare $1,021
Bulawayo $756

A couple spends around $1,695 per month in Harare vs $1,206 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Harare $1,695
Bulawayo $1,206

A family of three spends $2,368 per month in Harare vs $1,656 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Harare $2,368
Bulawayo $1,656

Harare costs about 35% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Harare and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Harare 24% lower, Bulawayo 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.96 ZWL 265

$4.58 ZWL 122

117.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.84 ZWL 1,220

$29.79 ZWL 793

53.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 ZWL 156

$5.14 ZWL 137

14.20%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ZWL 81.7

$2.09 ZWL 55.7

46.89%

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

$0.93 ZWL 24.65

$0.49 ZWL 13.01

89.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZWL 13.10

$0.39 ZWL 10.48

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 34.04

$1.52 ZWL 40.39

-15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$2.01 ZWL 53.5

-1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ZWL 39.90

$1.66 ZWL 44.15

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ZWL 25.89

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

-1.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.34

$1.53 ZWL 40.81

11.11%

Eggs

$1.89 ZWL 50.3

$1.92 ZWL 51.1

-1.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 ZWL 303

$9.50 ZWL 253

20.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 ZWL 148

$3.83 ZWL 102

45.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 ZWL 169

$4.48 ZWL 119

41.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

$1.80 ZWL 47.87

65.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

$1.59 ZWL 42.23

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ZWL 55.2

$2.48 ZWL 66.1

-16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

$1.00 ZWL 26.69

52.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 44.88

$1.28 ZWL 34.10

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.51

$1.37 ZWL 36.34

27.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ZWL 34.48

$1.13 ZWL 30.13

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ZWL 25.26

$0.79 ZWL 21.11

20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 ZWL 54.4

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

38.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 ZWL 216

$4.97 ZWL 132

63.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ZWL 35.25

$1.41 ZWL 37.57

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ZWL 52.9

$1.91 ZWL 50.8

4.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ZWL 27.37

$0.74 ZWL 19.67

39.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 ZWL 1,600

$30.32 ZWL 807

98.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 ZWL 108

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

39.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ZWL 53.6

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

2.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 ZWL 129

$5.08 ZWL 135

-4.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ZWL 47.89

$1.69 ZWL 44.98

6.51%

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

$21.8K ZWL 580.4K

$25.0K ZWL 665.1K

-12.74%

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

$27.6K ZWL 734.5K

$25.1K ZWL 668.8K

9.81%

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

$50.8 ZWL 1,352

$96.2 ZWL 2,560

-47.19%

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

$21.38 ZWL 569

$17.34 ZWL 461

23.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 ZWL 1,870

$108 ZWL 2,880

-35.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.57 ZWL 1,293

$30.72 ZWL 817

58.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.24 ZWL 592

$19.79 ZWL 527

12.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ZWL 269

$10.19 ZWL 271

-0.69%

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

$428 ZWL 11.4K

$233 ZWL 6,197

83.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,559 ZWL 227.8K

$3,474 ZWL 92.4K

146.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.89 ZWL 609

$21.00 ZWL 559

9.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.95 ZWL 558

$11.75 ZWL 313

78.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.61 ZWL 1,027

$46.44 ZWL 1,236

-16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.85 ZWL 1,060

$58.7 ZWL 1,562

-32.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 ZWL 10.2K

$173 ZWL 4,590

122.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 ZWL 8,350

$106 ZWL 2,830

195.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 ZWL 22.1K

$409 ZWL 10.9K

102.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ZWL 19.6K

$325 ZWL 8,646

126.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$915 ZWL 24.4K

$2,058 ZWL 54.8K

-55.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$387 ZWL 10.3K

$1,992 ZWL 53.0K

-80.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$413 ZWL 11.0K

$303 ZWL 8,062

36.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

-8.73%

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

Last update for Harare: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$314 30.7%

Bulawayo

$106 14.1% 66.1% $207

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$213 20.8%

Bulawayo

$176 23.3% 17.1% $36

Eating Out

Harare

$150 14.7%

Bulawayo

$92 12.2% 38.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 14%

Bulawayo

$222 29.3% 55.7% $79

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.7%

Bulawayo

$46 6.1% 41.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$69 6.7%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 25.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$55 5.4%

Bulawayo

$62 8.2% 12.8% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $383 in Harare versus $173 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 36% higher in Harare, 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 $46.00 in Harare versus $30.00 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $176 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

Same time as Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

653,337

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Harare Bulawayo 370 km

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Harare
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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

Harare vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Harare is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,532 per month in Harare and $1,134 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 $1,021 in Harare and $756 in Bulawayo. That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 98% 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 $756, than in Harare at $1,021. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harare 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.

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