Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chilanga and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chilanga: $585 a month against $872 in Lusaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Chilanga
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Chilanga Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Chilanga

🇿🇲 Zambia

$585

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $585 in Chilanga versus $872 in Lusaka.

Chilanga $585
Lusaka $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $928 in Chilanga versus $1,488 in Lusaka.

Chilanga $928
Lusaka $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,271 in Chilanga versus $2,103 in Lusaka.

Chilanga $1,271
Lusaka $2,103

Living in Chilanga costs roughly 33% less than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chilanga 57% lower, Lusaka 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.65 ZMW 112

$5.58 ZMW 111

1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.59 ZMW 589

$29.94 ZMW 595

-1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ZMW 102

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

2.61%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ZMW 54.9

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

-2.82%

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

$0.74 ZMW 14.64

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

-3.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.57

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZMW 24.49

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

-3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ZMW 46.00

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

0.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ZMW 33.83

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ZMW 23.22

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ZMW 41.80

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

4.48%

Eggs

$1.92 ZMW 38.10

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

-2.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ZMW 204

$10.49 ZMW 209

-2.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 ZMW 126

$6.34 ZMW 126

0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ZMW 132

$6.61 ZMW 131

0.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 ZMW 68.5

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ZMW 47.19

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

-3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 ZMW 70.8

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

-2.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZMW 29.94

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

-3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ZMW 49.46

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

-1.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 ZMW 35.65

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 21.99

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

-0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ZMW 15.67

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

6.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ZMW 58.7

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

0.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 ZMW 197

$10.09 ZMW 201

-1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ZMW 28.20

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ZMW 46.41

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

0.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.0 ZMW 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 ZMW 50.9

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 ZMW 29.24

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

-3.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 ZMW 96.9

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

-2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ZMW 29.40

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

-1.99%

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

$7,420 ZMW 147.6K

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

-2.93%

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

$27.4K ZMW 544.4K

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

-1.66%

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

$80.1 ZMW 1,592

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

-2.06%

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

$10.46 ZMW 208

$10.28 ZMW 204

1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 ZMW 1,110

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

2.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 ZMW 303

Cinema Ticket

$6.05 ZMW 120

$6.03 ZMW 120

0.33%

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

$139 ZMW 2,768

$139 ZMW 2,774

-0.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ZMW 331.0K

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

0.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.71 ZMW 472

$23.04 ZMW 458

2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.19 ZMW 302

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.76 ZMW 910

$45.38 ZMW 903

0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 ZMW 1,415

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

-2.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ZMW 7,564

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,513

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ZMW 11.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,895 ZMW 37.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,017 ZMW 99.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$316 ZMW 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Chilanga: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chilanga

$237 40.5%

Lusaka

$238 27.3% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chilanga

$146 25%

Lusaka

$146 16.8% 0% $0

Eating Out

Chilanga

$109 18.7%

Lusaka

$110 12.6% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chilanga

$70 12%

Lusaka

$70 8.1% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chilanga

$12 * 2.1%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 455% $55

Getting Around

Chilanga

$9.9 * 1.7%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 546% $54

Accommodation & Living

Chilanga

- * 0%

Lusaka

$177 20.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30.00 in Chilanga vs $30.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $238 per month, with Chilanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Chilanga

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

Same time as Chilanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,051

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chilanga Lusaka 16 km

From you

Chilanga
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

Chilanga vs Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chilanga and Lusaka differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($585 vs $872 including rent). Chilanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $877 in Chilanga and $1,308 in Lusaka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Chilanga – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $30.00 in Lusaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Chilanga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Chilanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Lusaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.