Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lubumbashi and Kinshasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lubumbashi: $1,228 a month against $1,723 in Kinshasa, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kinshasa
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Kinshasa Living Index

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Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

Kinshasa

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lubumbashi and in Kinshasa

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Lubumbashi vs $1,723 in Kinshasa, rent included.

Lubumbashi $1,228
Kinshasa $1,723

A couple spends around $2,727 per month in Lubumbashi vs $3,035 in Kinshasa, rent included.

Lubumbashi $2,727
Kinshasa $3,035

A family of three spends $4,226 per month in Lubumbashi vs $4,347 in Kinshasa, rent included.

Lubumbashi $4,226
Kinshasa $4,347

Lubumbashi is about 29% cheaper than Kinshasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lubumbashi sits 9% below the global median, while Kinshasa is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

$18.09 CDF 41.0K

-45.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

$85.9 CDF 194.6K

15.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

$15.24 CDF 34.5K

-34.91%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CDF 9,131

$6.49 CDF 14.7K

-37.90%

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

$1.08 CDF 2,458

$2.73 CDF 6,194

-60.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CDF 4,662

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CDF 4,508

$2.52 CDF 5,702

-21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 CDF 5,756

$4.56 CDF 10.3K

-44.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CDF 4,446

$3.31 CDF 7,491

-40.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CDF 2,764

$2.23 CDF 5,061

-45.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CDF 7,204

$3.15 CDF 7,138

0.95%

Eggs

$2.10 CDF 4,761

$3.99 CDF 9,049

-47.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

$9.59 CDF 21.7K

54.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

$16.80 CDF 38.1K

-54.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

$12.35 CDF 28.0K

25.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

$3.62 CDF 8,191

37.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 CDF 6,960

$3.05 CDF 6,912

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

$4.25 CDF 9,637

14.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 CDF 6,745

$4.16 CDF 9,432

-28.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 CDF 5,810

$3.36 CDF 7,607

-23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CDF 6,020

$3.09 CDF 7,000

-13.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CDF 2,220

$2.09 CDF 4,741

-53.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CDF 2,774

$1.46 CDF 3,305

-16.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 CDF 9,227

$4.58 CDF 10.4K

-11.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

$15.86 CDF 35.9K

-19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 CDF 2,600

$1.95 CDF 4,424

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CDF 4,719

$4.29 CDF 9,709

-51.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 CDF 2,289

$0.48 CDF 1,079

110.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.01 CDF 49.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

$5.62 CDF 12.7K

-20.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CDF 2,857

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

$5.06 CDF 11.5K

95.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 CDF 3,361

$1.78 CDF 4,028

-16.85%

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

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

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

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

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

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

$85.1 CDF 192.9K

17.31%

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

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

$27.99 CDF 63.4K

-28.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

$69.9 CDF 158.4K

-13.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

$77.8 CDF 176.3K

-5.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.96 CDF 49.8K

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 CDF 34.3K

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

$132 CDF 297.9K

$562 CDF 1.3M

-76.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

$10.7K CDF 24.2M

-58.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

$44.71 CDF 101.3K

-50.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

$38.01 CDF 86.1K

-40.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

$111 CDF 252.5K

-46.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

$125 CDF 283.2K

-30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 CDF 2.0M

$1,696 CDF 3.8M

-49.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 CDF 851.7K

$543 CDF 1.2M

-30.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

$4,128 CDF 9.4M

-38.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

$1,525 CDF 3.5M

34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

$4,958 CDF 11.2M

-79.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 CDF 1.1M

$1,249 CDF 2.8M

-60.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

$350 CDF 791.8K

204.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lubumbashi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kinshasa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6%

Kinshasa

$543 31.5% 44.4% $167

Groceries & Markets

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6%

Kinshasa

$400 23.2% 22.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7%

Kinshasa

$183 10.6% 1.5% $2.7

Eating Out

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4%

Kinshasa

$309 18% 74.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Lubumbashi

$86 7%

Kinshasa

$144 8.3% 67.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6%

Kinshasa

$108 6.3% 46.8% $34

Getting Around

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7%

Kinshasa

$36 2.1% 321% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Lubumbashi versus $1,696 in Kinshasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 205% higher in Lubumbashi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Lubumbashi versus $86.0 in Kinshasa. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Lubumbashi vs $400 in Kinshasa – so Lubumbashi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Kinshasa

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

1 h behind Lubumbashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,139,064

17,032,322 Capital

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lubumbashi Kinshasa 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lubumbashi
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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

Lubumbashi vs Kinshasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,228 in Lubumbashi, $1,723 in Kinshasa – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,842 per month in Lubumbashi and $2,584 in Kinshasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lubumbashi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Lubumbashi and $86.0 in Kinshasa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Kinshasa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lubumbashi, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Kinshasa at $1,723. In Lubumbashi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kinshasa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lubumbashi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lubumbashi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kinshasa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.