Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Zimba

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimba: $129 a month against $564 in Kafue, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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

Zimba

🇿🇲 Zambia

$129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kafue and in Zimba

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 Zimba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $564 per month in Kafue vs $129 in Zimba, rent included.

Kafue $564
Zimba $129

A couple spends around $902 per month in Kafue vs $202 in Zimba, rent included.

Kafue $902
Zimba $202

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Kafue vs $275 in Zimba, rent included.

Kafue $1,239
Zimba $275

Kafue costs about 337% more than Zimba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kafue and Zimba are more affordable than the global median – Kafue 58% lower, Zimba 90% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ZMW 109

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 ZMW 596

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ZMW 102

$2.99 ZMW 60.5

68.56%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ZMW 57.9

$1.44 ZMW 29.11

98.61%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.48

$0.76 ZMW 15.38

-5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.70

$0.36 ZMW 7.30

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.78

$0.72 ZMW 14.66

69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.89

$1.01 ZMW 20.53

124.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZMW 33.96

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ZMW 23.56

$1.03 ZMW 20.78

12.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.62

$1.50 ZMW 30.46

34.00%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.30

$1.31 ZMW 26.58

48.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZMW 206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ZMW 125

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 134

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

95.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

$1.77 ZMW 35.84

90.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ZMW 47.84

$1.50 ZMW 30.28

57.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.6

$2.94 ZMW 59.5

10.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.16

$0.73 ZMW 14.74

110.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ZMW 52.7

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ZMW 35.82

$0.77 ZMW 15.66

129.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 22.41

$0.86 ZMW 17.42

29.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.47

$0.47 ZMW 9.54

51.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ZMW 61.0

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 ZMW 201

$5.76 ZMW 117

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.82

$0.71 ZMW 14.46

92.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.99

$1.04 ZMW 21.02

118.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 ZMW 29.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 ZMW 102

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 29.61

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

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

$10.75 ZMW 218

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ZMW 1,085

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

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.39 ZMW 352

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 909

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 ZMW 1,319

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 Zimba: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kafue

$233 41.3%

Zimba

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kafue

$133 23.6%

Zimba

–

Eating Out

Kafue

$108 19.1%

Zimba

–

Clothing & Footwear

Kafue

$69 12.2%

Zimba

–

Sport & Entertainment

Kafue

$12 * 2.1%

Zimba

–

Getting Around

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7%

Zimba

–

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

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kafue

🇿🇲 Zimba

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

Same time as Kafue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,174

💱 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

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Kafue Zimba 270 km

From you

Kafue
Zimba

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 Zimba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $564 in Kafue, $129 in Zimba – Zimba comes out roughly 77% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $846 per month in Kafue and $194 in Zimba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $564 in Kafue and $129 in Zimba. That makes Zimba about 77% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 151% more in Kafue, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $564 in Kafue and $129 in Zimba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.