Bulawayo vs Dar es Salaam
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Dar es Salaam edges it, 46 to 44, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Bulawayo is stronger on nothing outright; Dar es Salaam on safety, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Zimbabwe's wide-avenued second city, gateway to the Matobo Hills
Full Bulawayo profile →Plan a trip to Bulawayo →Swahili coast city with Zanzibar next door
Full Dar es Salaam profile →Plan a trip to Dar es Salaam →Where they differ
- Safety. Dar es Salaam leads on safety, 55 to 42, against Bulawayo. Homicides per 100,000: 6.76 vs 3.3.
- Internet. Dar es Salaam leads on internet, 43 to 33, against Bulawayo. Measured download: 5.3 Mbps vs 9.5 Mbps.
- Climate. Bulawayo leads on climate, 83 to 75, against Dar es Salaam. Comfortable months: 10 vs 9.
Where they are close. Within five points on quality of life, getting there & around, visa ease.
Pick Bulawayo if you want
- no clear edge over Dar es Salaam in the data
Pick Dar es Salaam if you want
- faster internet (9.5 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 42 | 55 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 43 | 48 ✓ |
| Internet | 33 | 43 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 12 ✓ |
| Climate | 83 ✓ | 75 |
| Air quality | 79 ✓ | 72 |
| Quality of life | 30 ✓ | 26 |
Cost
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 6.76 | 3.3 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 50.3 | 57.3 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 59 ✓ | 49 |
| Life expectancy | 60.4 yrs | 68.3 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.3 Mbps | 9.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.3 Mbps | 3.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 50 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bulawayo | Dar es Salaam |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 10 ✓ | 9 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.5 µg/m³ ✓ | 17.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bulawayo or Dar es Salaam?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Bulawayo or Dar es Salaam safer?
- Dar es Salaam scores higher on safety (55 vs 42), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bulawayo or Dar es Salaam?
- Dar es Salaam: a measured median of 9.5 Mbps versus 5.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Bulawayo vs Beira
- Bulawayo vs Victoria Falls
- Dar es Salaam vs Lusaka
- Dar es Salaam vs Harare
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.