Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marondera and Bulawayo

For one person, living costs are similar in Marondera and in Bulawayo: $765 and $747 a month, rent and utilities included.

37

Cost of Living Index in Marondera
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Marondera Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index

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Marondera

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$765

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $765 per month in Marondera vs $747 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Marondera $765
Bulawayo $747

A couple spends around $1,164 per month in Marondera vs $1,194 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Marondera $1,164
Bulawayo $1,194

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Marondera vs $1,642 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Marondera $1,562
Bulawayo $1,642

Marondera and Bulawayo have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Marondera and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Marondera 44% lower, Bulawayo 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.10 ZWL 136

$4.37 ZWL 116

16.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ZWL 1,206

$29.90 ZWL 795

51.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 ZWL 156

$5.10 ZWL 136

15.29%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ZWL 53.8

$2.14 ZWL 56.8

-5.61%

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

$0.92 ZWL 24.49

$0.52 ZWL 13.79

76.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 11.89

$0.36 ZWL 9.59

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ZWL 26.97

$1.46 ZWL 38.92

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ZWL 53.4

$1.97 ZWL 52.3

2.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ZWL 26.98

$1.63 ZWL 43.27

-37.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 26.88

$0.98 ZWL 26.05

3.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ZWL 26.18

$1.55 ZWL 41.16

-36.13%

Eggs

$1.88 ZWL 50.0

$1.86 ZWL 49.36

1.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ZWL 270

$9.42 ZWL 250

7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 ZWL 130

$3.82 ZWL 102

28.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.07 ZWL 135

$4.60 ZWL 122

10.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ZWL 77.9

$1.80 ZWL 47.79

62.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ZWL 44.10

$1.55 ZWL 41.15

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ZWL 51.6

$2.40 ZWL 63.8

-19.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ZWL 42.04

$1.04 ZWL 27.65

51.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ZWL 46.75

$1.26 ZWL 33.50

39.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.93

$1.44 ZWL 38.16

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ZWL 33.16

$1.10 ZWL 29.27

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.20

$0.77 ZWL 20.45

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 ZWL 52.2

$1.51 ZWL 40.16

29.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.08 ZWL 108

$5.02 ZWL 133

-18.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ZWL 35.60

$1.36 ZWL 36.09

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ZWL 51.1

$1.83 ZWL 48.67

4.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZWL 19.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.51 ZWL 784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ZWL 106

$3.06 ZWL 81.2

30.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

2.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 ZWL 131

$5.03 ZWL 134

-1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 ZWL 47.46

$1.69 ZWL 44.95

5.92%

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

$21.8K ZWL 580.4K

$25.1K ZWL 667.3K

-13.03%

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

$27.4K ZWL 728.9K

$25.4K ZWL 674.8K

8.01%

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

$50.4 ZWL 1,339

$93.0 ZWL 2,472

-45.83%

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

$21.89 ZWL 582

$17.52 ZWL 466

24.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 ZWL 1,826

$107 ZWL 2,831

-35.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.99 ZWL 823

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.38 ZWL 542

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 ZWL 263

$10.09 ZWL 268

-1.98%

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

$449 ZWL 11.9K

$228 ZWL 6,051

97.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,545 ZWL 227.0K

$3,484 ZWL 92.6K

145.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.84 ZWL 607

$20.95 ZWL 557

9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.37 ZWL 568

$11.80 ZWL 314

81.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.52 ZWL 1,023

$46.98 ZWL 1,248

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.14 ZWL 1,066

$57.8 ZWL 1,536

-30.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 ZWL 6,572

$172 ZWL 4,573

43.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ZWL 6,666

$106 ZWL 2,803

137.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ZWL 10.7K

$406 ZWL 10.8K

-1.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ZWL 9,401

$323 ZWL 8,574

9.64%

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

-8.73%

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

Last update for Marondera: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marondera

$251 32.8%

Bulawayo

$106 14.1% 57.9% $145

Groceries & Markets

Marondera

$187 24.4%

Bulawayo

$175 23.4% 6.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marondera

$141 18.4%

Bulawayo

$217 29.1% 54% $76

Eating Out

Marondera

$97 12.7%

Bulawayo

$91 12.2% 6.8% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Marondera

$55 7.2%

Bulawayo

$62 8.3% 11.9% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Marondera

$20 * 2.6%

Bulawayo

$51 6.9% 159% $31

Getting Around

Marondera

$14 * 1.8%

Bulawayo

$45 6.1% 222% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $247 in Marondera 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Marondera versus $30 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $175 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Marondera

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

Same time as Marondera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,283

653,337

💱 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

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Marondera Bulawayo 380 km

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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

Marondera vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,148 per month in Marondera and $1,120 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $247 in Marondera.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Marondera and $30 in Bulawayo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Marondera and $228 in Bulawayo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $765 in Marondera and $747 in Bulawayo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.