Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shurugwi and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $747 in Bulawayo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Shurugwi, Zimbabwe
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Shurugwi
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$579
/mo nomad
Bulawayo
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$747
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $579 per month in Shurugwi vs $747 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Shurugwi $579
  • Bulawayo $747

A couple spends around $951 per month in Shurugwi vs $1,194 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Shurugwi $951
  • Bulawayo $1,194

A family of three spends $1,322 per month in Shurugwi vs $1,642 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Shurugwi $1,322
  • Bulawayo $1,642

Shurugwi is about 22% cheaper than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Shurugwi and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Shurugwi 57% lower, Bulawayo 45% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.05 ZWL 267
$4.37 ZWL 116
129.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.29 ZWL 1,071
$29.90 ZWL 795
34.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.92 ZWL 157
$5.10 ZWL 136
16.08%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ZWL 44.73
$2.14 ZWL 56.8
-21.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ZWL 24.85
$0.52 ZWL 13.79
80.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ZWL 12.86
$0.36 ZWL 9.59
33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.24 ZWL 32.92
$1.46 ZWL 38.92
-15.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ZWL 54.4
$1.97 ZWL 52.3
4.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ZWL 39.63
$1.63 ZWL 43.27
-8.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 ZWL 26.01
$0.98 ZWL 26.05
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ZWL 43.33
$1.55 ZWL 41.16
5.16%
Eggs
$1.87 ZWL 49.76
$1.86 ZWL 49.36
0.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.30 ZWL 300
$9.42 ZWL 250
19.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.33 ZWL 142
$3.82 ZWL 102
39.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.38 ZWL 169
$4.60 ZWL 122
38.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 ZWL 81.6
$1.80 ZWL 47.79
70.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 ZWL 45.36
$1.55 ZWL 41.15
10.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.02 ZWL 53.6
$2.40 ZWL 63.8
-15.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 ZWL 41.57
$1.04 ZWL 27.65
50.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 ZWL 44.63
$1.26 ZWL 33.50
33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 ZWL 45.85
$1.44 ZWL 38.16
20.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 ZWL 33.85
$1.10 ZWL 29.27
15.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 ZWL 25.41
$0.77 ZWL 20.45
24.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.03 ZWL 53.8
$1.51 ZWL 40.16
34.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 ZWL 211
$5.02 ZWL 133
58.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 ZWL 36.44
$1.36 ZWL 36.09
0.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ZWL 53.0
$1.83 ZWL 48.67
8.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.72 ZWL 19.06
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$29.51 ZWL 784
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 ZWL 105
$3.06 ZWL 81.2
29.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 ZWL 54.3
$1.98 ZWL 52.6
3.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 ZWL 132
$5.03 ZWL 134
-1.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.78 ZWL 47.20
$1.69 ZWL 44.95
5.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ZWL 579.4K
$25.1K ZWL 667.3K
-13.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K ZWL 731.7K
$25.4K ZWL 674.8K
8.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.2 ZWL 1,360
$93.0 ZWL 2,472
-45.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.80 ZWL 579
$17.52 ZWL 466
24.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.2 ZWL 1,866
$107 ZWL 2,831
-34.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$30.99 ZWL 823
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.38 ZWL 542
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 ZWL 270
$10.09 ZWL 268
0.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$427 ZWL 11.3K
$228 ZWL 6,051
87.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,514 ZWL 226.2K
$3,484 ZWL 92.6K
144.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.86 ZWL 607
$20.95 ZWL 557
9.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.80 ZWL 553
$11.80 ZWL 314
76.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$39.27 ZWL 1,043
$46.98 ZWL 1,248
-16.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$39.59 ZWL 1,052
$57.8 ZWL 1,536
-31.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$172 ZWL 4,573
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$106 ZWL 2,803
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$406 ZWL 10.8K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$323 ZWL 8,574
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,061 ZWL 54.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,031 ZWL 54.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shurugwi
Bulawayo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$303 ZWL 8,056
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.69
15
-8.73%

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

Last update for Shurugwi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Shurugwi
$212
Bulawayo
$175 17.4% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shurugwi
$143
Bulawayo
$217 51.6% $74
Eating Out
Shurugwi
$134
Bulawayo
$91 32.5% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Shurugwi
$55
Bulawayo
$62 12.3% $6.8
Sport & Entertainment
Shurugwi
$20 *
Bulawayo
$51 151% $31
Getting Around
Shurugwi
$14 *
Bulawayo
$45 220% $31
Accommodation & Living
Shurugwi
- *
Bulawayo
$106

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 $40 in Shurugwi versus $30 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $175 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇼 Shurugwi
🇿🇼 Bulawayo
🕒 Local time
22:35 10:35 PM
22:35 10:35 PM
Same time as Shurugwi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,866
653,337
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.57 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.58 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.38 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shurugwi Bulawayo 160 km
From you
  • Shurugwi
  • 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
Shurugwi vs Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shurugwi cheaper than Bulawayo?
Yes – Bulawayo is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $868 per month in Shurugwi and $1,120 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Shurugwi and in Bulawayo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $579 in Shurugwi and $747 in Bulawayo. That makes Shurugwi about 22% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Shurugwi and $228 in Bulawayo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Shurugwi vs other spots: cost of living compared

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