Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Chingola

For one person, living is cheaper in Chingola: $421 a month against $564 in Kafue, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Kafue
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Kafue Living Index

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Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Chingola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kafue and in Chingola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $564 in Kafue versus $421 in Chingola.

Kafue $564
Chingola $421

Estimated couple costs with rent: $902 in Kafue versus $718 in Chingola.

Kafue $902
Chingola $718

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,239 in Kafue versus $1,015 in Chingola.

Kafue $1,239
Chingola $1,015

Living in Kafue is roughly 34% more expensive than in Chingola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kafue 58% lower, Chingola 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ZMW 109

$15.08 ZMW 305

-64.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 ZMW 596

$24.63 ZMW 499

19.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ZMW 102

Cappuccino

$2.86 ZMW 57.9

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.48

$0.48 ZMW 9.64

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.70

$0.34 ZMW 6.79

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.78

$0.56 ZMW 11.40

117.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.89

$1.23 ZMW 24.88

84.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZMW 33.96

$1.76 ZMW 35.56

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ZMW 23.56

$1.13 ZMW 22.89

2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.62

$2.45 ZMW 49.55

-17.96%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.30

$1.76 ZMW 35.61

10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZMW 206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ZMW 125

$5.19 ZMW 105

18.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 134

$4.38 ZMW 88.8

51.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

$1.94 ZMW 39.30

74.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ZMW 47.84

$1.99 ZMW 40.33

18.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.6

$1.93 ZMW 39.07

67.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.16

$1.94 ZMW 39.27

-20.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ZMW 52.7

$2.99 ZMW 60.6

-13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ZMW 35.82

$1.51 ZMW 30.53

17.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 22.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.47

$0.85 ZMW 17.30

-16.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ZMW 61.0

$1.51 ZMW 30.60

99.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 ZMW 201

$4.86 ZMW 98.4

104.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.82

$0.60 ZMW 12.19

128.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.99

$0.72 ZMW 14.57

215.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 ZMW 29.07

$0.60 ZMW 12.21

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 ZMW 102

$9.81 ZMW 199

-48.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 29.61

$1.32 ZMW 26.81

10.61%

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

$7,396 ZMW 149.8K

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

$24.7K ZMW 500.5K

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

$69.0 ZMW 1,397

$48.53 ZMW 983

42.12%

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

$10.75 ZMW 218

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ZMW 1,085

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.03 ZMW 203

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ZMW 118

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

$145 ZMW 2,945

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K ZMW 414.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.90 ZMW 504

$20.11 ZMW 407

23.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.39 ZMW 352

$12.32 ZMW 249

41.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 909

$48.63 ZMW 985

-7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 ZMW 1,319

$75.0 ZMW 1,518

-13.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.7K ZMW 296.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$110 ZMW 2,219

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Kafue: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chingola: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kafue

$233 41.3%

Chingola

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kafue

$133 23.6%

Chingola

–

Eating Out

Kafue

$108 19.1%

Chingola

–

Clothing & Footwear

Kafue

$69 12.2%

Chingola

–

Sport & Entertainment

Kafue

$12 * 2.1%

Chingola

–

Getting Around

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7%

Chingola

–

Accommodation & Living

Kafue

- * 0%

Chingola

–

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $29 in Kafue vs $25 in Chingola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $160 per month, with Chingola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kafue

🇿🇲 Chingola

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

Same time as Kafue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,174

210,073

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kafue Chingola 360 km

From you

Kafue
Chingola

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

Kafue vs Chingola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chingola is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $846 in Kafue and $632 in Chingola 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Kafue. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chingola – a meal for two runs $25 versus $29 in Kafue. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Chingola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.