Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $860 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$860

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lusaka and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $860 per month in Lusaka vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

Lusaka $860
Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $1,472 per month in Lusaka vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

Lusaka $1,472
Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $2,084 per month in Lusaka vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

Lusaka $2,084
Belgrade $3,161

Lusaka is about 44% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lusaka sits 36% below the global median, while Belgrade is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 ZMW 111

$13.43 RSD 1,398

-59.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.14 ZMW 609

$58.0 RSD 6,036

-48.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ZMW 97.7

$13.30 RSD 1,384

-63.68%

Cappuccino

$2.91 ZMW 58.9

$3.05 RSD 317

-4.59%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.45

$2.82 RSD 293

-74.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZMW 9.04

$2.28 RSD 238

-80.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.63

$3.66 RSD 381

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ZMW 44.12

$4.18 RSD 435

-47.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ZMW 34.69

$1.41 RSD 147

21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ZMW 24.12

$1.16 RSD 121

2.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 ZMW 40.34

$2.53 RSD 263

-20.95%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.27

$2.80 RSD 292

-30.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ZMW 206

$10.93 RSD 1,137

-6.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 ZMW 123

$6.80 RSD 708

-10.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.24 ZMW 126

$15.40 RSD 1,603

-59.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ZMW 65.4

$1.63 RSD 170

98.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ZMW 49.44

$1.75 RSD 182

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 ZMW 66.7

$1.78 RSD 186

85.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ZMW 30.07

$3.04 RSD 316

-50.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 ZMW 51.9

$0.97 RSD 101

164.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 37.23

$0.65 RSD 67.7

183.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZMW 22.26

$0.74 RSD 77.2

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ZMW 15.53

$0.72 RSD 75.3

6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ZMW 59.2

$4.53 RSD 471

-35.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 ZMW 199

$8.25 RSD 858

19.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.70

$0.86 RSD 89.8

59.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ZMW 44.65

$1.43 RSD 148

54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ZMW 19.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 ZMW 1,220

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

$3.10 RSD 323

-21.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 ZMW 30.61

$0.98 RSD 102

54.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 ZMW 99.1

$17.10 RSD 1,780

-71.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ZMW 29.66

$1.87 RSD 195

-21.39%

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

$7,434 ZMW 150.2K

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

-75.93%

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

$25.3K ZMW 511.4K

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

5.15%

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

$70.3 ZMW 1,422

$215 RSD 22.4K

-67.25%

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

$10.39 ZMW 210

$25.55 RSD 2,659

-59.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 ZMW 1,095

$35.40 RSD 3,685

53.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ZMW 1,069

$40.62 RSD 4,228

30.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ZMW 299

$22.74 RSD 2,367

-35.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ZMW 118

$7.99 RSD 832

-26.78%

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

$148 ZMW 3,000

$453 RSD 47.2K

-67.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K ZMW 412.1K

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

64.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 ZMW 503

$112 RSD 11.6K

-77.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.32 ZMW 350

$47.56 RSD 4,951

-63.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.96 ZMW 909

$114 RSD 11.8K

-60.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 ZMW 1,341

$147 RSD 15.3K

-54.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ZMW 7,846

$829 RSD 86.3K

-53.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,570

$540 RSD 56.2K

-67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ZMW 21.7K

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

-28.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 ZMW 11.9K

$975 RSD 101.5K

-39.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,929 ZMW 39.0K

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

-61.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,657 ZMW 175.0K

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

172.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$364 ZMW 7,348

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

-71.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

544.44%

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

Last update for Lusaka: November 1, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusaka

$232 27%

Belgrade

$241 15.6% 3.6% $8.5

Accommodation & Living

Lusaka

$177 20.5%

Belgrade

$540 35.1% 206% $364

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusaka

$135 15.7%

Belgrade

$276 17.9% 104% $141

Eating Out

Lusaka

$108 12.6%

Belgrade

$231 15% 113% $123

Getting Around

Lusaka

$74 8.6%

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5% 89.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Lusaka

$69 8%

Belgrade

$189 12.3% 173% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Lusaka

$65 7.5%

Belgrade

$57 3.7% 12.4% $8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $388 in Lusaka versus $829 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belgrade are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Lusaka versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $241 – making Lusaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

1 h behind Lusaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,742,979 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 20.21 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.69 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lusaka Belgrade 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusaka
Belgrade

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

Lusaka vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $860 in Lusaka, $1,541 in Belgrade – Lusaka comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,290 per month in Lusaka and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lusaka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Lusaka and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lusaka, where all-in costs run around $860, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Lusaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lusaka – 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 Lusaka. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.