Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $889 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
Learn more

Lusaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lusaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Lusaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $889 in Lusaka.

Athens $1,806
Lusaka $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,510 in Lusaka.

Athens $2,731
Lusaka $1,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,131 in Lusaka.

Athens $3,656
Lusaka $2,131

Living in Athens is roughly 103% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Lusaka is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$5.74 ZMW 114

190.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$30.85 ZMW 612

114.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$4.96 ZMW 98.4

122.98%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.90 ZMW 57.4

42.76%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.74 ZMW 14.65

278.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.46 ZMW 9.16

23.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.30 ZMW 25.85

333.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$2.27 ZMW 44.98

140.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.76 ZMW 34.83

11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.18 ZMW 23.41

19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.13 ZMW 42.28

32.86%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.92 ZMW 38.15

162.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$10.36 ZMW 205

48.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$6.25 ZMW 124

65.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$6.62 ZMW 131

186.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.48 ZMW 69.0

-37.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.40 ZMW 47.66

-20.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.59 ZMW 71.1

-61.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.58 ZMW 31.25

39.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.53 ZMW 50.1

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.81 ZMW 35.93

-37.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.12 ZMW 22.23

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.79 ZMW 15.68

5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$2.96 ZMW 58.7

89.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$10.26 ZMW 203

-0.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.44 ZMW 28.53

51.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.35 ZMW 46.63

4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.98 ZMW 19.51

40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$49.75 ZMW 987

-37.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.51 ZMW 49.71

74.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.56 ZMW 30.84

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$5.02 ZMW 99.6

240.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.55 ZMW 30.69

49.03%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$7,507 ZMW 148.9K

272.75%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$27.0K ZMW 536.2K

3.61%

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

$210 €187

$80.5 ZMW 1,595

160.69%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$10.41 ZMW 207

156.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$55.5 ZMW 1,101

-45.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$55.5 ZMW 1,100

-1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$15.10 ZMW 300

72.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$6.00 ZMW 119

79.67%

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

$575 €513

$139 ZMW 2,748

314.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$16.7K ZMW 331.0K

-21.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$23.34 ZMW 463

299.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$15.35 ZMW 304

165.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$45.95 ZMW 911

126.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$72.3 ZMW 1,433

77.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$391 ZMW 7,744

93.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$180 ZMW 3,575

261.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,107 ZMW 21.9K

16.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$596 ZMW 11.8K

95.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$1,906 ZMW 37.8K

110.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$4,999 ZMW 99.1K

-30.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$317 ZMW 6,282

292.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-84.55%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Lusaka

$180 20.5% 72.4% $472

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Lusaka

$239 27.2% 23.9% $75

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Lusaka

$111 12.7% 58.6% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Lusaka

$146 16.7% 45.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Lusaka

$71 8% 57.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 11.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 39.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $391 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 292% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $31.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $239 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Lusaka 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Lusaka

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

Athens vs Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lusaka wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lusaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 292% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $391 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lusaka – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $889 in Lusaka – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $889 in Lusaka versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lusaka delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $889 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lusaka hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lusaka 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 Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.