Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living costs are similar in Brazil and in Zambia: $932 and $905 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
Learn more

Brazil Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇷 Brazil

$932

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $932 per month in Brazil vs $905 in Zambia, rent included.

Brazil $932
Zambia $905

A couple spends around $1,470 per month in Brazil vs $1,615 in Zambia, rent included.

Brazil $1,470
Zambia $1,615

A family of three spends $2,008 per month in Brazil vs $2,325 in Zambia, rent included.

Brazil $2,008
Zambia $2,325

The cost of living in Brazil is about 3% higher than in Zambia on average.

Both Brazil and Zambia are more affordable than the global median – Brazil 30% lower, Zambia 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.96 R$34.74

$6.84 ZMW 136

1.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.46 R$167

$30.13 ZMW 597

11.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 R$39.92

$5.20 ZMW 103

53.85%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R$10.41

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

-31.35%

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

$1.29 R$6.44

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

65.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$3.71

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 R$10.09

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

55.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.35

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

21.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.46

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

-42.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 R$8.72

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

42.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.63

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

-45.49%

Eggs

$2.24 R$11.17

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.56 R$47.70

$10.44 ZMW 207

-8.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 R$21.56

$6.54 ZMW 130

-33.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 R$42.61

$6.13 ZMW 122

39.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 R$11.56

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.19

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

-32.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.18

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

-64.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$7.80

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

-0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.17

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

-55.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.51

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

-42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.04

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

-29.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$3.89

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

9.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 R$12.78

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

-9.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.19 R$40.88

$10.13 ZMW 201

-19.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

-5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 R$12.29

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

17.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$4.98

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

2.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.08 R$240

$50.2 ZMW 995

-4.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 R$6.43

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

-49.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.11

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

-39.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 R$40.35

$8.94 ZMW 177

-9.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.49

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

-10.96%

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

$23.6K R$117.7K

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

278.88%

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

$33.4K R$166.7K

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

-13.84%

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

$83.5 R$417

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

-6.88%

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

$13.34 R$66.6

$10.95 ZMW 217

21.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.01 R$105

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

-64.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.88 R$129

$50.3 ZMW 998

-48.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.11 R$135

$16.39 ZMW 325

65.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 R$36.21

$6.80 ZMW 135

6.62%

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

$343 R$1,714

$142 ZMW 2,821

141.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,142 R$45.6K

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

-45.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 R$267

$24.56 ZMW 487

118.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.97 R$249

$14.64 ZMW 290

241.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 R$443

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

49.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 R$354

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

-6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R$1,963

$453 ZMW 8,980

-13.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 R$1,269

$174 ZMW 3,443

46.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 R$3,646

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

-32.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 R$2,488

$720 ZMW 14.3K

-30.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,920 R$9,584

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

-51.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,295 R$6,467

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

-79.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 R$2,690

$428 ZMW 8,485

25.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

26.25

-57.45%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 5, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$254 27.7%

Zambia

$174 19.2% 31.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$198 21.6%

Zambia

$240 26.5% 21% $42

Eating Out

Brazil

$129 14.1%

Zambia

$123 13.7% 4.5% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$118 12.9%

Zambia

$78 8.7% 33.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$118 12.9%

Zambia

$160 17.7% 35.4% $42

Getting Around

Brazil

$58 6.4%

Zambia

$65 7.2% 11.4% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$40 4.4%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 58.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $345 in Brazil vs $111 in Zambia. For reference, capital cities sit at $498 in Brasilia and $391 in Lusaka.

Average salary: $494 in Brazil vs $342 in Zambia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 211% higher in Brazil.

Dining out costs 138% more in Brazil.

Public transport is 1233% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 44% higher in Brazil, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

5 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brazil Zambia 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
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

Brazil vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 3% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Brazil: a central one-bedroom averages $345 versus $111 in Zambia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 3% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zambia, but in Brazil 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.