Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $872 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona 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 Barcelona and in Lusaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $872 in Lusaka.

Barcelona $2,381
Lusaka $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,488 in Lusaka.

Barcelona $3,406
Lusaka $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,103 in Lusaka.

Barcelona $4,431
Lusaka $2,103

Living in Barcelona is roughly 173% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Lusaka is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$5.58 ZMW 111

220.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$29.94 ZMW 595

120.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

174.35%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

7.75%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

298.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

321.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

204.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

100.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

79.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

-8.96%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

135.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.49 ZMW 209

65.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$6.34 ZMW 126

46.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$6.61 ZMW 131

200.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

-8.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

-17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

-27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

82.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

135.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.09 ZMW 201

-22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

13.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$50.0 ZMW 995

-49.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

21.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

565.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

23.18%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

323.12%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

13.90%

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

$183 €163

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

123.61%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$10.28 ZMW 204

32.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

-39.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

-0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$15.21 ZMW 303

8.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.03 ZMW 120

86.24%

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

$954 €849

$139 ZMW 2,774

584.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

0.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$23.04 ZMW 458

273.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$15.19 ZMW 302

157.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$45.38 ZMW 903

128.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

62.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$380 ZMW 7,564

345.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$177 ZMW 3,513

622.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

141.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$593 ZMW 11.8K

224.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,895 ZMW 37.7K

284.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$5,017 ZMW 99.8K

-0.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$316 ZMW 6,290

604.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-88.69%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Lusaka

$177 20.3% 86.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Lusaka

$238 27.3% 26.9% $87

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Lusaka

$110 12.6% 59.3% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Lusaka

$146 16.8% 36.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Lusaka

$70 8.1% 55% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 12.9% $10

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 35.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $380 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 604% 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 Barcelona vs $30.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $238 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Lusaka 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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

Barcelona vs Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lusaka differ by about 173% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $872 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 604% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $380 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $139 in Lusaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $872 in Lusaka versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona 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 173% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.