Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shurugwi and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
Learn more

Shurugwi Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shurugwi and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $579 in Shurugwi versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Shurugwi $579
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $949 in Shurugwi versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Shurugwi $949
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,320 in Shurugwi versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Shurugwi $1,320
Dubai $5,872

Living in Shurugwi costs roughly 80% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shurugwi is 57% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 ZWL 269

$12.67 AED 46.55

-20.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.64 ZWL 1,055

$81.7 AED 300

-51.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 ZWL 154

$9.34 AED 34.30

-37.90%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ZWL 45.06

$5.89 AED 21.62

-71.31%

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

$0.97 ZWL 25.82

$1.69 AED 6.20

-42.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.79

$0.78 AED 2.86

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 33.94

$13.66 AED 50.2

-90.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ZWL 54.7

$13.49 AED 49.54

-84.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

$1.84 AED 6.78

-19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.00

$1.50 AED 5.50

-34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 ZWL 44.40

$2.57 AED 9.45

-35.02%

Eggs

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

$3.32 AED 12.18

-41.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 ZWL 307

$12.60 AED 46.28

-8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 ZWL 141

$9.66 AED 35.46

-45.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.34 ZWL 169

$12.78 AED 46.93

-50.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 ZWL 81.8

$2.60 AED 9.54

18.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ZWL 44.01

$1.90 AED 6.99

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ZWL 53.4

$1.91 AED 7.02

5.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.30

$1.37 AED 5.02

10.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

$1.13 AED 4.14

47.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.97

$1.01 AED 3.71

78.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.55

$1.44 AED 5.30

-15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

$0.67 AED 2.48

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$5.88 AED 21.59

-66.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 ZWL 218

$16.15 AED 59.3

-49.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.77

$2.72 AED 10.00

-49.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$3.08 AED 11.32

-36.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 ZWL 105

$3.24 AED 11.91

21.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

$0.71 AED 2.61

177.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 134

$7.96 AED 29.22

-36.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.95

$0.98 AED 3.62

87.76%

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

$22.1K ZWL 587.6K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-19.36%

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

$27.8K ZWL 738.7K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

26.00%

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

$52.0 ZWL 1,383

$249 AED 913

-79.08%

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

$21.89 ZWL 582

$54.4 AED 200

-59.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 ZWL 1,818

$91.5 AED 336

-25.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 ZWL 265

$16.29 AED 59.8

-38.80%

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

$429 ZWL 11.4K

$844 AED 3,098

-49.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,436 ZWL 224.5K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-53.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.20 ZWL 617

$67.0 AED 246

-65.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.19 ZWL 564

$57.9 AED 213

-63.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.89 ZWL 1,035

$102 AED 375

-61.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.82 ZWL 1,060

$98.7 AED 363

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

4.54

201.54%

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

Last update for Shurugwi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shurugwi

$213 36.7%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 37.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shurugwi

$142 24.6%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 177% $252

Eating Out

Shurugwi

$135 23.3%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 126% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Shurugwi

$55 9.6%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 165% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 582% $116

Getting Around

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.4%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 545% $75

Accommodation & Living

Shurugwi

- * 0%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Shurugwi vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $292 per month, with Shurugwi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

2 h ahead of Shurugwi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,866

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shurugwi Dubai 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Shurugwi
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shurugwi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 400% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $868 in Shurugwi and $4,344 in Dubai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $579 per month in Shurugwi versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 400% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $579 in Shurugwi versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shurugwi but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Shurugwi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shurugwi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Shurugwi and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shurugwi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 400% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.