Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Chingola

For one person, living is cheaper in Chingola: $435 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $43,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

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Chingola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$435

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $435 in Chingola.

London $4,086
Chingola $435

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,816 in London versus $734 in Chingola.

London $5,816
Chingola $734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,546 in London versus $1,034 in Chingola.

London $7,546
Chingola $1,034

Living in London is roughly 839% more expensive than in Chingola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 205% above, Chingola is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$14.93 ZMW 296

78.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$24.97 ZMW 495

330.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

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

$3.01 £2.27

$0.53 ZMW 10.57

467.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.34 ZMW 6.73

532.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$0.59 ZMW 11.70

1484.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$1.26 ZMW 24.90

522.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.80 ZMW 35.71

-0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.17 ZMW 23.16

76.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.55 ZMW 50.6

-9.41%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$1.86 ZMW 36.97

171.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$5.22 ZMW 103

104.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$4.60 ZMW 91.2

272.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.05 ZMW 40.59

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.99 ZMW 39.38

-29.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.01 ZMW 39.91

51.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.08 ZMW 41.23

62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$3.01 ZMW 59.7

-44.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.48 ZMW 29.35

16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.90 ZMW 17.80

98.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$1.55 ZMW 30.67

1398.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$5.11 ZMW 101

154.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$0.60 ZMW 11.85

430.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$0.79 ZMW 15.69

458.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.63 ZMW 12.53

428.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$10.21 ZMW 203

467.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.35 ZMW 26.71

51.11%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

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

$40.9K £30.9K

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

$376 £284

$50.0 ZMW 992

651.73%

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

$17.88 £13.51

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$10.28 ZMW 204

494.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

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

$2,865 £2,165

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$20.68 ZMW 410

460.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$12.65 ZMW 251

327.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$50.5 ZMW 1,001

150.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$75.1 ZMW 1,488

112.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$15.3K ZMW 302.9K

-48.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$110 ZMW 2,180

4281.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chingola: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Chingola

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Chingola

–

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Chingola

–

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Chingola

–

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Chingola

–

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Chingola

–

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Chingola

–

Cost Breakdown

London pays 4282% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $108 in London vs $25.00 in Chingola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $165 per month, with Chingola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇲 Chingola

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

210,073

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Chingola 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Chingola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chingola is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 839% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4282% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in London. 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 $25.00 versus $108 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $435 in Chingola versus $4,086 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chingola but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Chingola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chingola is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Chingola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 839% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.