Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $898 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $898 in Zambia, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Zambia $898

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,593 in Zambia, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Zambia $1,593

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $2,287 in Zambia, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Zambia $2,287

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Zambia ($131–$863), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 157% higher than in Zambia on average.

Canada sits 70% above the global median, while Zambia is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.52

$6.88 ZMW 139

163.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$100

$29.72 ZMW 599

139.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.19

$5.11 ZMW 103

111.55%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.31

$3.00 ZMW 60.4

26.00%

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

$2.11 CA$2.97

$0.73 ZMW 14.68

189.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$0.44 ZMW 8.88

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.89

$1.23 ZMW 24.69

356.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.04

$2.52 ZMW 50.7

126.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$1.76 ZMW 35.49

23.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.66

$1.15 ZMW 23.09

126.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.13

$2.39 ZMW 48.20

52.72%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.10

$1.77 ZMW 35.69

105.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.12

$10.20 ZMW 206

5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.72

$6.49 ZMW 131

83.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.67

$6.02 ZMW 121

156.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.66

$3.35 ZMW 67.5

20.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$2.21 ZMW 44.61

-37.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.44

$3.57 ZMW 71.9

8.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.74

$1.54 ZMW 31.10

164.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$2.76 ZMW 55.7

-6.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$1.84 ZMW 37.15

34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$1.17 ZMW 23.48

126.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.41

$0.70 ZMW 14.03

144.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.12

$2.80 ZMW 56.4

411.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.95

$9.66 ZMW 195

39.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$1.38 ZMW 27.71

105.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.64

$2.07 ZMW 41.66

59.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.59

$1.01 ZMW 20.26

152.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

$49.68 ZMW 1,001

44.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.47

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

26.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$1.63 ZMW 32.85

-5.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.50

$8.63 ZMW 174

209.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.45 ZMW 29.18

-14.48%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$6,253 ZMW 126.0K

345.79%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$39.2K ZMW 789.4K

-46.23%

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

$147 CA$207

$91.1 ZMW 1,836

61.71%

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

$41.80 CA$58.7

$10.68 ZMW 215

291.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.6

$58.6 ZMW 1,181

2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.8

$50.0 ZMW 1,008

-22.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.78

$16.42 ZMW 331

16.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.75

$6.84 ZMW 138

63.89%

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

$721 CA$1,013

$140 ZMW 2,831

413.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.9K

$16.4K ZMW 330.0K

-9.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.7

$23.74 ZMW 478

132.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.7

$14.37 ZMW 290

171.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$123

$58.5 ZMW 1,179

49.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$75.4 ZMW 1,519

34.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,813

$447 ZMW 9,017

188.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,588

$176 ZMW 3,549

541.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,861

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

93.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,432

$734 ZMW 14.8K

135.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,700

$3,827 ZMW 77.1K

24.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,240

$6,287 ZMW 126.7K

-40.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,313

$422 ZMW 8,507

627.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

26.25

-81.45%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Zambia

$176 19.6% 84.4% $954

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Zambia

$234 26.1% 36.9% $137

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Zambia

$122 13.6% 56% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Zambia

$160 17.9% 35.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Zambia

$77 8.6% 39.2% $50

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Zambia

$64 7.2% 30.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 3.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $591 in Zambia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $380 in Lusaka.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $340 in Zambia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 112% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 121% more in Canada.

Public transport is 32% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 8.7 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

12:21 12:21 PM

6 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 20.15 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.96 USD). 1 EUR = 22.43 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canada Zambia 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
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

Canada vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 61% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $591 in Zambia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 157% price gap.

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