Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $2,537 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Zambia

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

A single person spends $2,537 per month in Australia vs $905 in Zambia, rent included.

Australia $2,537
Zambia $905

A couple spends around $3,682 per month in Australia vs $1,615 in Zambia, rent included.

Australia $3,682
Zambia $1,615

A family of three spends $4,828 per month in Australia vs $2,325 in Zambia, rent included.

Australia $4,828
Zambia $2,325

The cost of living in Australia is about 180% higher than in Zambia on average.

Australia sits 89% above the global median, while Zambia is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.27

$6.84 ZMW 136

158.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.8 A$118

$30.13 ZMW 597

174.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 A$16.05

$5.20 ZMW 103

115.77%

Cappuccino

$3.85 A$5.51

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

27.06%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

265.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.39

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

383.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 A$11.23

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

503.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.49 A$12.16

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

235.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.49

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

-7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.98

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

126.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.16

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

-9.43%

Eggs

$5.06 A$7.25

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

175.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.12

$10.44 ZMW 207

-5.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 A$12.80

$6.54 ZMW 130

36.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$21.06

$6.13 ZMW 122

139.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.39

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

39.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.43

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

-11.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 A$6.61

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

194.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.03

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

0.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

101.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 A$2.44

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

140.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.17 A$54.6

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

1244.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.70

$10.13 ZMW 201

35.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.91 A$7.02

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

248.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 A$7.19

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

139.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 A$4.07

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

189.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 A$135

$50.2 ZMW 995

88.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 A$4.92

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

33.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

-5.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.37 A$56.3

$8.94 ZMW 177

340.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

-10.27%

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

$27.7K A$39.7K

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

345.56%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

-27.56%

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

$201 A$288

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

124.33%

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

$28.45 A$40.72

$10.95 ZMW 217

159.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.2

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

-2.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.1

$50.3 ZMW 998

12.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.28 A$27.60

$16.39 ZMW 325

17.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.07 A$21.56

$6.80 ZMW 135

121.62%

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

$2,116 A$3,028

$142 ZMW 2,821

1387.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

8.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 A$114

$24.56 ZMW 487

223.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.5

$14.64 ZMW 290

274.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

90.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

60.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 A$2,264

$453 ZMW 8,980

249.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 A$1,753

$174 ZMW 3,443

605.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,409 A$3,447

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

124.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 A$2,734

$720 ZMW 14.3K

165.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,995 A$11.4K

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

102.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,968 A$8,541

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

-6.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 A$5,619

$428 ZMW 8,485

817.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

26.25

-77.45%

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

Last update for Australia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48%

Zambia

$174 19.2% 85.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.5%

Zambia

$240 26.5% 35.2% $130

Eating Out

Australia

$298 11.7%

Zambia

$123 13.7% 58.6% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$287 11.3%

Zambia

$160 17.7% 44.4% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Zambia

$78 8.7% 52.8% $88

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Zambia

$65 7.2% 44.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 26.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,371 in Australia vs $111 in Zambia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,711 in Canberra and $391 in Lusaka.

Average salary: $3,856 in Australia vs $342 in Zambia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1135% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 538% more in Australia.

Public transport is 2433% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 1027% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

16:05 4:05 PM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Zambia 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Zambia

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

Australia vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 180% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,371 versus $111 in Zambia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 180% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zambia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Zambia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.