Cost of living in Zambia
Summary of cost of living in Zambia
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: 32,314 Kwacha
- Single person estimated monthly costs: 16,521 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.
Food | |||
---|---|---|---|
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 63 Kwacha | ||
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | 73 Kwacha | ||
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 41 Kwacha | ||
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 22 Kwacha | ||
12 eggs, large | 26 Kwacha | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 14 Kwacha | ||
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 112 Kwacha | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 48 Kwacha | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 19 Kwacha | ||
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 17 Kwacha | ||
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 158 Kwacha | ||
2 liters of coca-cola | 19 Kwacha | ||
Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 12 Kwacha | ||
Housing | |||
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | 12,033 Kwacha | ||
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | 9,517 Kwacha | ||
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 668 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 | 6,731 Kwacha | ||
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | 350 Kwacha | ||
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | 350 Kwacha | ||
40” flat screen tv | 2,500 Kwacha | ||
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | 1,981 Kwacha | ||
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 131 Kwacha | ||
Hourly rate for cleaning help | - | ||
Clothes | |||
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | 794 Kwacha | ||
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | 670 Kwacha | ||
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | 833 Kwacha | ||
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 1,256 Kwacha | ||
Transportation | |||
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | - | ||
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 17 Kwacha | ||
Monthly ticket public transport | - | ||
Personal Care | |||
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 37 Kwacha | ||
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 50 Kwacha | ||
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | 374 Kwacha | ||
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | 49 Kwacha | ||
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 39 Kwacha | ||
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 106 Kwacha | ||
4 rolls of toilet paper | 28 Kwacha | ||
Tube of toothpaste | 27 Kwacha | ||
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 165 Kwacha | ||
Entertainment | |||
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 200 Kwacha | ||
2 tickets to the movies | 145 Kwacha | ||
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 200 Kwacha | ||
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 400 Kwacha | ||
1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 45 Kwacha | ||
Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 30 Kwacha | ||
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 15 Kwacha | ||
Ipad wi-fi 128gb | 3,893 Kwacha | ||
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | - | ||
1 month of gym membership in business district | 250 Kwacha | ||
1 package of marlboro cigarettes | 38 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 30% cheaper than in Monterrey
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 8% more expensive than in Aguascalientes
- Cost of living in Ndola is 49% more expensive than in Delhi
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 29% cheaper than in Windhoek
- Cost of living in Ndola is 56% more expensive than in Algiers
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 7% cheaper than in Kigali
- Cost of living in Ndola is 17% cheaper than in Washington D.C.
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 53% more expensive than in Vadodara
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 15% cheaper than in Bucharest
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 29% cheaper than in Zagreb
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 61% cheaper than in Dallas, Texas
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 5% cheaper than in Gaborone
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 66% cheaper than in Washington D.C.
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 27% more expensive than in Hyderabad, India
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 63% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 43% more expensive than in Ludhiana
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 52% cheaper than in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Cost of living in Lusaka is about the same as in Manado
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 63% cheaper than in Chicago, Illinois
- Cost of living in Lusaka is 20% cheaper than in Pretoria
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Lusaka costs 37 Kwacha (7 days ago)