Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $789 a month against $888 in Zambia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Zambia despite lower rent and utilities.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in China versus $888 in Zambia.

China $789
Zambia $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,254 in China versus $1,577 in Zambia.

China $1,254
Zambia $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,720 in China versus $2,267 in Zambia.

China $1,720
Zambia $2,267

China ($468–$1,246) and Zambia ($129–$860) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 11% less than in Zambia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Zambia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.24

$6.63 ZMW 134

-54.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.12 ¥147

$29.20 ZMW 592

-24.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.74

$4.92 ZMW 99.7

9.15%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ¥19.53

$3.25 ZMW 65.8

-9.85%

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

$0.48 ¥3.21

$0.77 ZMW 15.57

-37.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.48 ZMW 9.77

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.15

$1.27 ZMW 25.69

-15.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.69

$2.48 ZMW 50.4

-10.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.00

$1.80 ZMW 36.40

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$1.19 ZMW 24.06

36.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$2.35 ZMW 47.63

-57.87%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.78 ZMW 36.13

-8.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.5

$10.04 ZMW 204

33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.04

$6.29 ZMW 127

-44.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.2

$6.11 ZMW 124

82.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.60

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

-44.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.72

$2.14 ZMW 43.36

-38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.96

$3.31 ZMW 67.1

-54.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$1.52 ZMW 30.78

-11.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.76

$2.63 ZMW 53.3

-72.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.92 ZMW 38.97

-51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$1.17 ZMW 23.75

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.74 ZMW 15.04

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥25.42

$2.98 ZMW 60.3

28.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.1

$10.03 ZMW 203

21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.04

$1.30 ZMW 26.25

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$2.02 ZMW 40.88

-18.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.96 ZMW 19.44

-69.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥120

$55.0 ZMW 1,116

-67.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$2.48 ZMW 50.3

-38.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.46

$1.59 ZMW 32.24

-76.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ¥44.57

$8.85 ZMW 179

-24.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.49

$1.35 ZMW 27.39

-5.19%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$6,270 ZMW 127.1K

214.79%

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

$17.5K ¥116.2K

$41.6K ZMW 843.0K

-58.02%

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

$55.3 ¥368

$77.5 ZMW 1,572

-28.66%

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

$8.32 ¥55.4

$11.24 ZMW 228

-25.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ¥74.1

$57.7 ZMW 1,169

-80.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.65 ¥264

$48.69 ZMW 987

-18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$15.83 ZMW 321

-4.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ¥44.26

$6.63 ZMW 134

0.30%

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

$514 ¥3,424

$147 ZMW 2,971

250.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K ¥232.4K

$20.0K ZMW 404.5K

74.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.85 ¥305

$25.13 ZMW 509

82.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.41 ¥236

$13.67 ZMW 277

159.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥506

$57.6 ZMW 1,167

32.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 ¥533

$77.5 ZMW 1,572

3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,527

$456 ZMW 9,253

-16.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,543

$176 ZMW 3,563

31.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 ¥5,563

$1,061 ZMW 21.5K

-21.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥3,074

$725 ZMW 14.7K

-36.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,743 ¥31.6K

$3,803 ZMW 77.1K

24.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,383 ¥15.9K

$3,966 ZMW 80.4K

-39.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 ¥7,435

$461 ZMW 9,347

142.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

26.25

-86.86%

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

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.4%

Zambia

$176 19.8% 24.1% $56

Groceries & Markets

China

$212 26.8%

Zambia

$233 26.2% 9.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.5%

Zambia

$78 8.8% 26.7% $29

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Zambia

$123 13.9% 39% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.5%

Zambia

$146 16.5% 95.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

China

$53 6.7%

Zambia

$62 7% 17% $9

Getting Around

China

$23 2.9%

Zambia

$69 7.8% 207% $47

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $590 in Zambia. Capital cities: $942 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $388 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $881 in China, $358 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 98% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 32% more in Zambia.

Public transport is 233% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

02:30 2:30 AM

20:30 8:30 PM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.93 USD

100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 20.27 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.93 USD). 1 EUR = 22.78 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Zambia 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in China and $888 in Zambia, China comes out about 11% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $590 in Zambia and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.