Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $898 in Zambia, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
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Egypt Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index

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🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Egypt versus $898 in Zambia.

Egypt $449
Zambia $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Egypt versus $1,593 in Zambia.

Egypt $733
Zambia $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,017 in Egypt versus $2,287 in Zambia.

Egypt $1,017
Zambia $2,287

Internal cost variation is higher in Zambia: monthly costs span $131 to $863, compared to $295–$677 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in Zambia.

Living in Egypt costs about 50% less than in Zambia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 67% lower, Zambia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 E£194

$6.88 ZMW 139

-49.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 E£997

$29.72 ZMW 599

-40.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 E£252

$5.11 ZMW 103

-11.74%

Cappuccino

$1.38 E£77.5

$3.00 ZMW 60.4

-54.00%

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

$0.34 E£18.77

$0.73 ZMW 14.68

-53.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.66

$0.44 ZMW 8.88

-68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 E£76.5

$1.23 ZMW 24.69

11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 E£151

$2.52 ZMW 50.7

7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£44.14

$1.76 ZMW 35.49

-55.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£38.09

$1.15 ZMW 23.09

-40.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£33.35

$2.39 ZMW 48.20

-74.90%

Eggs

$1.18 E£65.8

$1.77 ZMW 35.69

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.18 E£178

$10.20 ZMW 206

-68.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 E£219

$6.49 ZMW 131

-39.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 E£433

$6.02 ZMW 121

28.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£81.2

$3.35 ZMW 67.5

-56.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 E£37.24

$2.21 ZMW 44.61

-69.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£27.26

$3.57 ZMW 71.9

-86.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.85

$1.54 ZMW 31.10

-77.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 E£20.23

$2.76 ZMW 55.7

-86.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.74

$1.84 ZMW 37.15

-80.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£15.74

$1.17 ZMW 23.48

-76.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.40

$0.70 ZMW 14.03

-72.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 E£102

$2.80 ZMW 56.4

-34.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 E£347

$9.66 ZMW 195

-35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 E£72.5

$1.38 ZMW 27.71

-5.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 E£105

$2.07 ZMW 41.66

-9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 E£15.69

$1.01 ZMW 20.26

-72.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.24 E£405

$49.68 ZMW 1,001

-85.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.85

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

-85.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 E£14.52

$1.63 ZMW 32.85

-84.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 E£102

$8.63 ZMW 174

-78.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.29

$1.45 ZMW 29.18

-72.41%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$6,253 ZMW 126.0K

377.80%

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

$24.0K E£1.3M

$39.2K ZMW 789.4K

-38.69%

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

$20.40 E£1,142

$91.1 ZMW 1,836

-77.62%

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

$6.78 E£379

$10.68 ZMW 215

-36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.41 E£694

$58.6 ZMW 1,181

-78.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.00 E£952

$50.0 ZMW 1,008

-66.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 E£356

$16.42 ZMW 331

-61.27%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 E£164

$6.84 ZMW 138

-57.16%

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

$94.2 E£5,271

$140 ZMW 2,831

-32.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,362 E£132.2K

$16.4K ZMW 330.0K

-85.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 E£1,418

$23.74 ZMW 478

6.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.23 E£2,308

$14.37 ZMW 290

186.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 E£5,875

$58.5 ZMW 1,179

79.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.95 E£2,684

$75.4 ZMW 1,519

-36.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 E£7,826

$447 ZMW 9,017

-68.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 E£4,974

$176 ZMW 3,549

-49.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 E£15.8K

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

-73.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 E£10.0K

$734 ZMW 14.8K

-75.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$683 E£38.2K

$3,827 ZMW 77.1K

-82.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$432 E£24.2K

$6,287 ZMW 126.7K

-93.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,900

$422 ZMW 8,507

-66.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.11

26.25

-34.82%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Egypt

$117 26%

Zambia

$234 26.1% 101% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Egypt

$99 22%

Zambia

$77 8.6% 21.6% $21

Accommodation & Living

Egypt

$89 19.8%

Zambia

$176 19.6% 98.2% $87

Eating Out

Egypt

$72 16%

Zambia

$122 13.6% 69.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Egypt

$40 8.8%

Zambia

$160 17.9% 305% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Egypt

$23 5.1%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 179% $41

Getting Around

Egypt

$10 2.2%

Zambia

$64 7.2% 541% $54

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $136 in Egypt, $591 in Zambia. Capital cities: $203 in Cairo vs $380 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $129 in Egypt, $340 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 335% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 81% more in Zambia.

Public transport is 614% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Zambia.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h behind Egypt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,535,772

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 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 EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Egypt Zambia 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Egypt
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

Egypt vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $449 per month in Egypt and $898 in Zambia, there’s a 100% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Egypt: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $591 in Zambia and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Egypt wins on affordability; Zambia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.