Cost of living in Zambia
Summary of cost of living in Zambia
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: 27,593 Kwacha
- Single person estimated monthly costs: 13,553 Kwacha WARNING! These estimates are currently based on just a small amount of data. They provide a decent starting assumption, but they are not yet completely reliable.
Change the currency:
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 56 Kwacha | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | 53 Kwacha | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 42 Kwacha | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 17 Kwacha | ||
| 12 eggs, large | 15 Kwacha | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 11 Kwacha | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 55 Kwacha | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 33 Kwacha | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 18 Kwacha | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 11 Kwacha | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 123 Kwacha | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | 15 Kwacha | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 10 Kwacha | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | 11,428 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | 4,611 Kwacha | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 814 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | 15,000 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | 9,000 Kwacha | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | 1,039 Kwacha | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | 300 Kwacha | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | 4,580 Kwacha | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | 1,372 Kwacha | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 78 Kwacha | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 85 Kwacha | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | 486 Kwacha | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | 409 Kwacha | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | 621 Kwacha | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 606 Kwacha | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 170,622 Kwacha | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 15 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | 590 Kwacha | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 37 Kwacha | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 49 Kwacha | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | 306 Kwacha | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | 47 Kwacha | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 39 Kwacha | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 42 Kwacha | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 24 Kwacha | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | 14 Kwacha | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 64 Kwacha | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 210 Kwacha | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | 93 Kwacha | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 300 Kwacha | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 297 Kwacha | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 55 Kwacha | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 32 Kwacha | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 15 Kwacha | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | 5,697 Kwacha | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 3.75 Kwacha | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 667 Kwacha | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | 30 Kwacha | ||
Map of Cost of Living in Zambia
This map shows only the top cities in Zambia. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 41% cheaper than in Shanghai
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 26% cheaper than in Addis Ababa
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 26% cheaper than in Johannesburg
- Cost of living in Kabwe is about the same as in Poznan
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 45% cheaper than in Port of Spain
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 9% cheaper than in Cairo
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 17% cheaper than in Corrientes
- Cost of living in Livingstone is 17% more expensive than in Lusaka
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 53% cheaper than in Mississauga
- Cost of living in Lusaka is about the same as in Xian
- Cost of living in Kabwe is 36% cheaper than in San Antonio, Texas
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 45% cheaper than in Grenoble
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 19% cheaper than in Queretaro
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 42% cheaper than in Trento
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 46% cheaper than in Montreal
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 53% cheaper than in Orlando, Florida
- Cost of living in Kabwe is 31% cheaper than in Muscat
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 18% cheaper than in Playa del Carmen
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 14% cheaper than in Dar es Salaam
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 11% cheaper than in Copiapó