Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masvingo and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $617 a month against $753 in Bulawayo, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bulawayo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index

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Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$617

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $617 per month in Masvingo vs $753 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Masvingo $617
Bulawayo $753

A couple spends around $1,025 per month in Masvingo vs $1,201 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Masvingo $1,025
Bulawayo $1,201

A family of three spends $1,432 per month in Masvingo vs $1,650 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Masvingo $1,432
Bulawayo $1,650

Masvingo is about 18% cheaper than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Masvingo and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Masvingo 54% lower, Bulawayo 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.56 ZWL 334

$4.56 ZWL 121

175.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.86 ZWL 1,218

$30.25 ZWL 803

51.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 ZWL 149

$4.93 ZWL 131

14.00%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ZWL 80.8

$2.09 ZWL 55.4

45.45%

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

$0.84 ZWL 22.40

$0.48 ZWL 12.69

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ZWL 11.23

$0.39 ZWL 10.48

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZWL 32.77

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

-16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$2.02 ZWL 53.6

-1.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.35

$1.60 ZWL 42.48

-5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ZWL 26.23

$1.02 ZWL 27.12

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.47

$1.52 ZWL 40.40

5.26%

Eggs

$1.94 ZWL 51.4

$1.82 ZWL 48.27

6.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 ZWL 307

$9.72 ZWL 258

18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ZWL 146

$3.85 ZWL 102

42.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.89 ZWL 183

$4.51 ZWL 120

52.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ZWL 84.1

$1.87 ZWL 49.78

69.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 44.92

$1.54 ZWL 40.83

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ZWL 54.9

$2.52 ZWL 66.9

-17.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.46

$1.02 ZWL 27.09

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.14

$1.22 ZWL 32.41

39.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ZWL 40.51

$1.37 ZWL 36.30

11.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.15 ZWL 30.51

12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ZWL 26.16

$0.75 ZWL 20.04

30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 ZWL 47.66

$1.54 ZWL 40.90

16.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 ZWL 221

$5.05 ZWL 134

64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ZWL 36.17

$1.39 ZWL 36.95

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.48

$1.85 ZWL 49.11

0.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ZWL 20.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.12 ZWL 800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 ZWL 107

$3.02 ZWL 80.2

33.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$1.94 ZWL 51.5

0.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$5.14 ZWL 137

-4.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ZWL 47.71

$1.68 ZWL 44.67

7.14%

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

$21.8K ZWL 580.1K

$24.5K ZWL 650.8K

-10.87%

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

$27.4K ZWL 728.1K

$24.9K ZWL 662.2K

9.95%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,346

$94.5 ZWL 2,510

-46.37%

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

$21.61 ZWL 574

$17.77 ZWL 472

21.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

$106 ZWL 2,809

-32.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.88 ZWL 820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 ZWL 526

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 265

$10.20 ZWL 271

-2.35%

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

$420 ZWL 11.2K

$229 ZWL 6,092

83.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ZWL 447.7K

$3,490 ZWL 92.7K

382.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.66 ZWL 575

$21.65 ZWL 575

0.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.40 ZWL 542

$11.60 ZWL 308

75.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 ZWL 978

$47.10 ZWL 1,251

-21.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.69 ZWL 1,081

$59.1 ZWL 1,568

-31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 ZWL 4,570

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 ZWL 2,858

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ZWL 11.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ZWL 8,503

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)

$305 ZWL 8,100

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 Masvingo: 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

Masvingo

$216 35.1%

Bulawayo

$176 23.4% 18.6% $40

Eating Out

Masvingo

$169 27.4%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 46% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masvingo

$144 23.3%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 51.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Masvingo

$54 8.7%

Bulawayo

$63 8.3% 16.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Masvingo

$20 * 3.2%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 157% $31

Getting Around

Masvingo

$14 * 2.2%

Bulawayo

$46 6.1% 234% $32

Accommodation & Living

Masvingo

- * 0%

Bulawayo

$108 14.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Masvingo versus $30 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $176 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

Same time as Masvingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,527

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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Between locations

Masvingo Bulawayo 230 km

From you

Masvingo
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

Masvingo vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bulawayo is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $925 per month in Masvingo and $1,129 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $617 in Masvingo and $753 in Bulawayo. That makes Masvingo about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $420 per month in Masvingo 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 $617 in Masvingo and $753 in Bulawayo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.