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

😐 Solo nomad: Lusaka is 114.6% more expensive than Chingola without rent, and 149.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lusaka is 72.6% more expensive than Chingola without rent, and 154.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.23 ZMW 138
$12.55 ZMW 240
-42.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.83 ZMW 475
$20.47 ZMW 392
21.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.68 ZMW 70.4
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.99 ZMW 38.11
-
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ZMW 13.85
$0.42 ZMW 8.09
71.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ZMW 6.50
$0.30 ZMW 5.81
13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.92 ZMW 17.66
$0.51 ZMW 9.85
80.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ZMW 33.24
$1.07 ZMW 20.48
62.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 ZMW 25.17
$1.00 ZMW 19.21
32.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 ZMW 14.02
$0.82 ZMW 15.63
-10.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 ZMW 30.67
$2.01 ZMW 38.45
-20.40%
Eggs
$1.84 ZMW 35.25
$1.09 ZMW 20.83
68.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 ZMW 147
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.98 ZMW 76.1
$2.13 ZMW 40.77
86.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.74 ZMW 90.7
$3.72 ZMW 71.2
27.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.48 ZMW 47.52
$1.70 ZMW 32.54
45.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ZMW 31.91
$1.67 ZMW 31.96
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.80 ZMW 53.5
$1.62 ZMW 31.07
72.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.17 ZMW 22.40
$1.68 ZMW 32.11
-30.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.89 ZMW 36.17
$2.53 ZMW 48.42
-25.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ZMW 26.09
$1.26 ZMW 24.04
7.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 ZMW 17.92
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ZMW 9.17
$0.70 ZMW 13.35
-31.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.53 ZMW 48.34
$1.23 ZMW 23.45
105.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.07 ZMW 154
$5.36 ZMW 103
50.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 ZMW 21.61
$0.48 ZMW 9.16
135.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 ZMW 29.26
$0.64 ZMW 12.27
139.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 ZMW 19.17
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.65 ZMW 739
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 ZMW 52.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.13 ZMW 21.63
$0.42 ZMW 7.99
169.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.99 ZMW 172
$8.52 ZMW 163
5.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ZMW 23.50
$1.23 ZMW 23.51
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,140 ZMW 155.7K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.5K ZMW 544.9K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.9 ZMW 1,778
$40.85 ZMW 781
127.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$53.1 ZMW 1,016
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$126 ZMW 2,402
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.23 ZMW 865
$8.54 ZMW 163
429.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.75 ZMW 263
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 ZMW 81.6
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$175 ZMW 3,349
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,583 ZMW 183.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.74 ZMW 358
$16.41 ZMW 314
14.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.19 ZMW 329
$10.36 ZMW 198
65.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.8 ZMW 1,642
$41.35 ZMW 791
107.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.9 ZMW 1,414
$61.0 ZMW 1,168
21.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 ZMW 4,251
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$120 ZMW 2,299
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,042 ZMW 19.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$600 ZMW 11.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,997 ZMW 38.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,895 ZMW 74.5K
$15.6K ZMW 298.3K
-75.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lusaka
Chingola
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$344 ZMW 6,576
$115 ZMW 2,205
198.27%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Chingola: April 14, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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