Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $888 a month against $1,832 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,832

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,832 in Italy versus $888 in Zambia.

Italy $1,832
Zambia $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,809 in Italy versus $1,577 in Zambia.

Italy $2,809
Zambia $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,787 in Italy versus $2,267 in Zambia.

Italy $3,787
Zambia $2,267

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,163 to $2,537, compared to $129–$860 in Zambia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 106% more expensive than in Zambia on average.

Italy (35% above) and Zambia (34% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €18.21

$6.63 ZMW 134

208.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 €70.2

$29.20 ZMW 591

170.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 €10.00

$4.92 ZMW 99.6

128.25%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$3.25 ZMW 65.7

-37.23%

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

$3.09 €2.75

$0.77 ZMW 15.55

301.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.48 ZMW 9.76

179.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.08

$1.27 ZMW 25.67

349.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.83

$2.48 ZMW 50.3

118.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.80 ZMW 36.36

-12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.19 ZMW 24.03

100.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.35 ZMW 47.59

21.28%

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$1.78 ZMW 36.09

135.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.06 €15.18

$10.04 ZMW 203

69.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

$6.29 ZMW 127

98.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.30 €18.07

$6.11 ZMW 124

232.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

-22.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.14 ZMW 43.31

1.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$3.31 ZMW 67.0

-21.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

$1.52 ZMW 30.75

117.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.63 ZMW 53.3

-23.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.92 ZMW 38.93

-5.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.17 ZMW 23.73

34.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.74 ZMW 15.02

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 €6.00

$2.98 ZMW 60.3

126.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.04

$10.03 ZMW 203

-21.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.30 ZMW 26.23

35.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.02 ZMW 40.84

16.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.96 ZMW 19.42

103.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.83 €38.11

$55.0 ZMW 1,114

-22.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.92

$2.48 ZMW 50.2

122.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.59 ZMW 32.21

7.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.80 €30.08

$8.85 ZMW 179

281.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.35 ZMW 27.36

54.07%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$6,270 ZMW 127.0K

473.73%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$41.6K ZMW 842.1K

-10.59%

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

$231 €206

$77.5 ZMW 1,570

198.43%

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

$11.80 €10.50

$11.24 ZMW 228

4.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.94 €26.64

$57.7 ZMW 1,168

-48.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 €47.19

$48.69 ZMW 986

8.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.61 €21.01

$15.83 ZMW 321

49.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.75 €9.56

$6.63 ZMW 134

62.14%

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

$566 €504

$147 ZMW 2,968

286.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$20.0K ZMW 404.1K

-11.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.8 €80.8

$25.13 ZMW 509

261.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.57 €34.33

$13.67 ZMW 277

182.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$57.6 ZMW 1,166

79.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$77.5 ZMW 1,570

67.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 €738

$456 ZMW 9,244

81.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 €561

$176 ZMW 3,560

258.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 €1,225

$1,061 ZMW 21.5K

29.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €935

$725 ZMW 14.7K

44.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,650 €3,248

$3,803 ZMW 77.0K

-4.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,306 €2,052

$3,966 ZMW 80.3K

-41.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,951 €1,736

$461 ZMW 9,338

323.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

26.25

-86.48%

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

Last update for Italy: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$630 34.4%

Zambia

$176 19.8% 72.1% $455

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 18.9%

Zambia

$233 26.2% 32.9% $114

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.2%

Zambia

$123 13.9% 55.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$273 14.9%

Zambia

$146 16.5% 46.4% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Zambia

$78 8.8% 52% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Zambia

$62 7% 16.9% $13

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Zambia

$69 7.8% 7.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $728 in Italy, $590 in Zambia. Capital cities: $1,348 in Rome vs $388 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $1,908 in Italy, $358 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 23% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 152% more in Italy.

Public transport is 40% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are about 5.3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 20.25 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.94 USD). 1 EUR = 22.8 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Zambia 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,832 per month in Italy and $888 in Zambia, Zambia comes out about 52% 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 $728 in Italy and $590 in Zambia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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