Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $898 in Zambia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $898 in Zambia.

India $399
Zambia $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $1,593 in Zambia.

India $639
Zambia $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $2,287 in Zambia.

India $879
Zambia $2,287

India ($230–$813) and Zambia ($131–$863) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in India costs about 56% less than in Zambia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Zambia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$6.88 ZMW 139

-68.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹996

$29.72 ZMW 600

-64.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹362

$5.11 ZMW 103

-25.64%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$3.00 ZMW 60.5

-44.00%

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

$0.38 ₹36.03

$0.73 ZMW 14.70

-47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.62

$0.44 ZMW 8.90

-65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$1.23 ZMW 24.72

52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$2.52 ZMW 50.8

26.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$1.76 ZMW 35.55

-64.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.82

$1.15 ZMW 23.13

-56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$2.39 ZMW 48.27

-73.64%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.77 ZMW 35.75

-45.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹462

$10.20 ZMW 206

-52.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$6.49 ZMW 131

-56.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 ZMW 122

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹191

$3.35 ZMW 67.6

-40.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.5

$2.21 ZMW 44.68

-70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.4

$3.57 ZMW 72.0

-72.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.35

$1.54 ZMW 31.15

-69.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.91

$2.76 ZMW 55.8

-87.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.78

$1.84 ZMW 37.20

-77.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.45

$1.17 ZMW 23.52

-59.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.71

$0.70 ZMW 14.05

-55.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$2.80 ZMW 56.5

81.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹696

$9.66 ZMW 195

-24.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$1.38 ZMW 27.76

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

$2.07 ZMW 41.72

33.33%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.89

$1.01 ZMW 20.29

-74.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹817

$49.68 ZMW 1,003

-82.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

-60.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.77

$1.63 ZMW 32.89

-83.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$8.63 ZMW 174

-82.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.45 ZMW 29.23

-26.21%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$6,253 ZMW 126.2K

79.34%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$39.2K ZMW 790.6K

-48.82%

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

$37.08 ₹3,531

$91.1 ZMW 1,839

-59.32%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$10.68 ZMW 216

-66.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹681

$58.6 ZMW 1,183

-87.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,428

$50.0 ZMW 1,010

-70.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹683

$16.42 ZMW 331

-56.33%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$6.84 ZMW 138

-53.22%

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

$58.8 ₹5,599

$140 ZMW 2,835

-58.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.7K

$16.4K ZMW 330.5K

-89.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,193

$23.74 ZMW 479

-2.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,302

$14.37 ZMW 290

68.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,923

$58.5 ZMW 1,181

-29.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,820

$75.4 ZMW 1,521

-60.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$447 ZMW 9,030

-67.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,176

$176 ZMW 3,555

-45.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.7K

$1,054 ZMW 21.3K

-67.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.3K

$734 ZMW 14.8K

-68.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹112.1K

$3,827 ZMW 77.2K

-69.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.3K

$6,287 ZMW 126.9K

-89.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$422 ZMW 8,520

-3.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

26.25

-65.98%

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

Last update for India: 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

India

$102 25.6%

Zambia

$234 26.1% 129% $132

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Zambia

$176 19.6% 82.8% $80

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Zambia

$122 13.6% 83.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Zambia

$77 8.6% 45.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Zambia

$160 17.9% 236% $113

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 198% $42

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Zambia

$64 7.2% 437% $52

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $591 in Zambia. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $380 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $340 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 393% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 164% more in Zambia.

Public transport is 525% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are 21% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

3 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 20.18 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.96 USD). 1 EUR = 22.46 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Zambia 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

India
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

India vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $898 in Zambia, there’s a 125% 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 India: 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 $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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