CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Zambia Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Zambia

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 19.9% cheaper than Zambia without rent, and 6.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 14.9% cheaper than Zambia without rent, and 17.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Zambia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.77 ¥19.34
$6.97 ZMW 139
-60.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.14 ¥169
$23.45 ZMW 468
2.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.75 ¥33.19
$3.74 ZMW 74.8
27.01%
Cappuccino
$3.02 ¥21.09
$1.89 ZMW 37.78
59.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.06
$0.68 ZMW 13.52
-35.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.87
$0.33 ZMW 6.50
-18.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.96 ¥6.68
$0.92 ZMW 18.31
4.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥14.23
$1.50 ZMW 30.04
36.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Zambia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥12.22
$1.25 ZMW 24.91
40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 ¥11.81
$0.82 ZMW 16.33
106.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 ¥6.86
$1.83 ZMW 36.54
-46.45%
Eggs
$1.60 ¥11.21
$1.53 ZMW 30.62
4.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.34 ¥93.3
$7.91 ZMW 158
68.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ¥22.85
$3.92 ZMW 78.2
-16.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.63 ¥74.3
$4.91 ZMW 98.1
116.50%
Apples (1kg)
$1.74 ¥12.17
$2.31 ZMW 46.20
-24.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.77
$1.56 ZMW 31.10
-19.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.14
$2.60 ZMW 52.0
-44.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 ¥8.29
$1.19 ZMW 23.79
-
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥5.08
$1.97 ZMW 39.27
-62.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.86 ¥5.99
$1.43 ZMW 28.56
-39.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.31
$0.91 ZMW 18.10
-31.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.71
$0.56 ZMW 11.28
-5.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.44 ¥24.06
$2.30 ZMW 45.89
49.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.63 ¥81.3
$6.24 ZMW 125
86.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥5.89
$0.84 ZMW 16.83
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 ¥11.32
$1.29 ZMW 25.77
25.58%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Zambia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥3.08
$0.96 ZMW 19.10
-54.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.71 ¥145
$39.24 ZMW 784
-47.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥9.93
$2.48 ZMW 49.44
-42.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.27
$1.03 ZMW 20.55
-67.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 ¥45.49
$9.36 ZMW 187
-30.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥8.20
$1.18 ZMW 23.49
-0.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥134.0K
$8,112 ZMW 162.0K
136.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K ¥116.3K
$28.5K ZMW 569.7K
-41.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Zambia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥359
$86.8 ZMW 1,733
-40.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 ¥67.3
$51.0 ZMW 1,019
-81.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.22 ¥78.5
$123 ZMW 2,465
-90.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Zambia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.09 ¥273
$41.51 ZMW 829
-5.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.70 ¥103
$13.67 ZMW 273
7.53%
Cinema Ticket
$6.14 ¥42.95
$4.10 ZMW 81.9
49.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Zambia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$416 ¥2,909
$177 ZMW 3,534
135.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K ¥125.2K
$9,450 ZMW 188.7K
89.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Zambia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.24 ¥316
$19.64 ZMW 392
130.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.59 ¥228
$17.66 ZMW 353
84.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.0 ¥510
$79.4 ZMW 1,585
-8.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.8 ¥509
$72.7 ZMW 1,452
0.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Zambia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$432 ¥3,022
$212 ZMW 4,228
104.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 ¥1,769
$127 ZMW 2,544
98.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$923 ¥6,450
$862 ZMW 17.2K
7.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$546 ¥3,816
$702 ZMW 14.0K
-22.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,324 ¥37.2K
$1,980 ZMW 39.5K
168.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,784 ¥19.5K
$5,165 ZMW 103.1K
-46.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Zambia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,037 ¥7,250
$337 ZMW 6,739
207.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
25
-83.76%

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

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

Last update for Zambia: January 12, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar countries

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.