Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabwe and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabwe: $573 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Kabwe
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Kabwe Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Kabwe

🇿🇲 Zambia

$573

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabwe and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kabwe and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $573 in Kabwe versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Kabwe $573
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $907 in Kabwe versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Kabwe $907
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,242 in Kabwe versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Kabwe $1,242
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Kabwe costs roughly 78% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kabwe is 58% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 ZMW 109

$20.77 $20.77

-73.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.30 ZMW 603

$84.6 $84.6

-64.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 ZMW 101

$12.32 $12.32

-58.93%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ZMW 57.2

$5.63 $5.63

-48.85%

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

$0.73 ZMW 14.60

$3.72 $3.72

-80.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZMW 9.03

$2.50 $2.50

-82.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZMW 25.49

$8.05 $8.05

-84.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ZMW 46.03

$9.01 $9.01

-74.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ZMW 33.24

$1.12 $1.12

49.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ZMW 24.42

$3.75 $3.75

-67.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ZMW 40.41

$3.26 $3.26

-37.73%

Eggs

$1.17 ZMW 23.21

$4.17 $4.17

-71.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ZMW 205

$12.90 $12.90

-20.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 ZMW 126

$14.16 $14.16

-55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.46 ZMW 128

$16.22 $16.22

-60.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ZMW 68.1

$4.33 $4.33

-21.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ZMW 20.66

$1.46 $1.46

-28.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ZMW 72.2

$4.51 $4.51

-19.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

$4.34 $4.34

-64.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 ZMW 49.92

$2.58 $2.58

-2.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ZMW 35.43

$2.35 $2.35

-24.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZMW 22.95

$1.78 $1.78

-35.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ZMW 15.09

$2.22 $2.22

-65.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ZMW 60.3

$9.88 $9.88

-69.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 ZMW 199

$15.08 $15.08

-33.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ZMW 29.47

$2.92 $2.92

-49.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ZMW 47.02

$3.46 $3.46

-31.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 ZMW 51.5

$2.73 $2.73

-5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ZMW 30.53

$1.66 $1.66

-7.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 ZMW 97.3

$35.30 $35.30

-86.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ZMW 26.81

$0.95 $0.95

42.11%

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

$7,588 ZMW 150.9K

$36.0K $36.0K

-78.95%

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

$27.1K ZMW 539.4K

$27.1K $27.1K

0.16%

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

$79.2 ZMW 1,576

$229 $229

-65.40%

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

$10.24 ZMW 204

$59.4 $59.4

-82.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 ZMW 1,115

$69.9 $69.9

-19.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ZMW 117

$14.28 $14.28

-58.96%

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

$137 ZMW 2,719

$1,506 $1,506

-90.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ZMW 335.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-21.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.99 ZMW 457

$52.8 $52.8

-56.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.34 ZMW 305

$43.82 $43.82

-64.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.92 ZMW 893

$84.8 $84.8

-47.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ZMW 1,437

$103 $103

-29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

327.10%

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

Last update for Kabwe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kabwe

$226 39.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 78.8% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabwe

$146 25.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 146% $213

Eating Out

Kabwe

$109 19.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 224% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Kabwe

$70 12.2%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 82.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Kabwe

$12 * 2.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 631% $74

Getting Around

Kabwe

$10 * 1.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 472% $48

Accommodation & Living

Kabwe

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30.00 in Kabwe vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $405 per month, with Kabwe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kabwe

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

14:26 2:26 PM

7 h behind Kabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,517

974,447

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

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Between locations

Kabwe Austin, TX 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabwe
Austin, TX

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

Kabwe vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabwe wins on cost – living expenses run 365% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kabwe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $859 in Kabwe and $3,995 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $137 in Kabwe versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kabwe – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $573 in Kabwe versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kabwe but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kabwe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Kabwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 365% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.