Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Chingola Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Chingola

😐 Solo nomad: Lusaka is 96.6% more expensive than Chingola without rent, and 152.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lusaka is 63.3% more expensive than Chingola without rent, and 155.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.35 ZMW 141
$12.58 ZMW 241
-41.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.43 ZMW 487
$20.46 ZMW 391
24.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.70 ZMW 70.7
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.93 ZMW 36.94
-
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 ZMW 13.18
$0.42 ZMW 8.05
64.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ZMW 6.92
$0.30 ZMW 5.80
20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.89 ZMW 17.03
$0.48 ZMW 9.25
85.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ZMW 34.56
$1.02 ZMW 19.52
77.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ZMW 24.17
$1.03 ZMW 19.80
22.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 ZMW 14.17
$0.76 ZMW 14.46
-2.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 ZMW 30.35
$2.11 ZMW 40.35
-24.64%
Eggs
$1.82 ZMW 34.85
$1.15 ZMW 22.06
58.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.93 ZMW 152
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.83 ZMW 73.2
$2.10 ZMW 40.16
82.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.61 ZMW 88.2
$3.64 ZMW 69.7
26.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 ZMW 49.95
$1.63 ZMW 31.19
60.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ZMW 30.78
$1.70 ZMW 32.48
-5.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.69 ZMW 51.5
$1.71 ZMW 32.69
57.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.12 ZMW 21.45
$1.63 ZMW 31.11
-31.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 ZMW 35.99
$2.44 ZMW 46.72
-22.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 ZMW 26.56
$1.20 ZMW 23.04
15.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 ZMW 18.05
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ZMW 9.88
$0.70 ZMW 13.33
-25.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.52 ZMW 48.29
$1.26 ZMW 24.10
100.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 ZMW 143
$5.19 ZMW 99.3
44.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 ZMW 21.82
$0.52 ZMW 9.87
119.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ZMW 29.94
$0.64 ZMW 12.16
143.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 ZMW 18.25
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.75 ZMW 741
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 ZMW 53.0
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 ZMW 21.92
$0.42 ZMW 8.00
173.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.03 ZMW 173
$8.36 ZMW 160
8.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 ZMW 22.89
$1.22 ZMW 23.27
-1.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,118 ZMW 155.3K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K ZMW 536.8K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$90.3 ZMW 1,727
$41.72 ZMW 798
116.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.0 ZMW 994
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$127 ZMW 2,433
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.62 ZMW 854
$8.35 ZMW 160
434.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.95 ZMW 267
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.14 ZMW 79.2
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$176 ZMW 3,358
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,737 ZMW 186.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.25 ZMW 368
$16.40 ZMW 314
17.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.30 ZMW 331
$10.24 ZMW 196
68.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.4 ZMW 1,614
$41.64 ZMW 797
102.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.4 ZMW 1,423
$63.0 ZMW 1,205
18.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$225 ZMW 4,303
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$123 ZMW 2,360
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 ZMW 20.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$583 ZMW 11.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,942 ZMW 37.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,863 ZMW 73.9K
$15.6K ZMW 298.8K
-75.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$348 ZMW 6,666
$113 ZMW 2,168
207.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
25
0
-

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

Last update for Lusaka: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chingola: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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