Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $889 in Lusaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$889

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lusaka and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Lusaka vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Lusaka $889
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,510 per month in Lusaka vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Lusaka $1,510
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,131 per month in Lusaka vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Lusaka $2,131
Cairo $1,431

Lusaka costs about 38% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lusaka and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Lusaka 34% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.74 ZMW 114

$4.69 E£245

22.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.85 ZMW 612

$28.49 E£1,491

8.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ZMW 98.4

$6.03 E£315

-17.74%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ZMW 57.4

$1.81 E£94.7

60.22%

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

$0.74 ZMW 14.65

$0.35 E£18.18

111.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZMW 9.16

$0.15 E£7.95

206.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.85

$1.45 E£76.0

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 44.98

$2.24 E£117

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 34.83

$0.97 E£50.7

81.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ZMW 23.41

$0.73 E£37.96

61.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ZMW 42.28

$0.77 E£40.24

176.62%

Eggs

$1.92 ZMW 38.15

$1.17 E£61.2

64.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ZMW 205

$4.32 E£226

139.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.25 ZMW 124

$5.07 E£265

23.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 131

$8.92 E£467

-25.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 69.0

$1.83 E£95.8

90.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 ZMW 47.66

$0.75 E£39.07

220.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 ZMW 71.1

$0.57 E£29.78

529.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ZMW 31.25

$0.51 E£26.62

209.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 ZMW 50.1

$0.38 E£20.05

565.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ZMW 35.93

$0.42 E£21.88

330.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.23

$0.35 E£18.43

220.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ZMW 15.68

$0.24 E£12.57

229.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ZMW 58.7

$1.99 E£104

48.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 ZMW 203

$7.48 E£391

37.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ZMW 28.53

$1.52 E£79.4

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ZMW 46.63

$2.13 E£112

10.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.51

$0.33 E£17.10

196.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.75 ZMW 987

$8.66 E£453

474.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 49.71

$0.37 E£19.27

578.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ZMW 30.84

$0.20 E£10.65

680.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ZMW 99.6

$1.49 E£77.8

236.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ZMW 30.69

$0.46 E£23.94

236.96%

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

$7,507 ZMW 148.9K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-76.99%

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

$27.0K ZMW 536.2K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-4.78%

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

$80.5 ZMW 1,595

$27.54 E£1,441

192.16%

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

$10.41 ZMW 207

$8.27 E£432

25.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 ZMW 1,101

$14.05 E£735

295.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 ZMW 1,100

$28.27 E£1,479

96.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.10 ZMW 300

$6.70 E£350

125.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 ZMW 119

$4.40 E£230

36.36%

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

$139 ZMW 2,748

$121 E£6,356

14.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ZMW 331.0K

$3,619 E£189.3K

361.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.34 ZMW 463

$40.16 E£2,101

-41.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.35 ZMW 304

$49.61 E£2,596

-69.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.95 ZMW 911

$115 E£6,033

-60.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 ZMW 1,433

$60.6 E£3,170

19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ZMW 7,744

$220 E£11.5K

77.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ZMW 3,575

$194 E£10.2K

-7.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 ZMW 21.9K

$514 E£26.9K

115.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 ZMW 11.8K

$334 E£17.5K

78.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,906 ZMW 37.8K

$806 E£42.2K

136.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,999 ZMW 99.1K

$513 E£26.9K

874.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$317 ZMW 6,282

$200 E£10.5K

58.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

78.90%

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

Last update for Lusaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusaka

$239 27.2%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 41% $98

Accommodation & Living

Lusaka

$180 20.5%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 7.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusaka

$146 16.7%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 65.9% $97

Eating Out

Lusaka

$111 12.7%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 18.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Lusaka

$71 8%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 69.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Lusaka

$67 7.7%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 45% $30

Getting Around

Lusaka

$64 7.3%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 82.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $391 in Lusaka versus $220 in Cairo. 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 58% higher in Lusaka, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Lusaka versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

1 h ahead of Lusaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,742,979 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lusaka Cairo 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusaka
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lusaka is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Lusaka and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 69% more in Lusaka, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Lusaka and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Lusaka at $889. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lusaka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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