Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Kafue

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $860 in Lusaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
Learn more

Lusaka Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
Learn more

Kafue Living Index

Jump to prices

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$860

/mo nomad

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lusaka and in Kafue

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

A single person spends $860 per month in Lusaka vs $564 in Kafue, rent included.

Lusaka $860
Kafue $564

A couple spends around $1,472 per month in Lusaka vs $902 in Kafue, rent included.

Lusaka $1,472
Kafue $902

A family of three spends $2,084 per month in Lusaka vs $1,239 in Kafue, rent included.

Lusaka $2,084
Kafue $1,239

Lusaka costs about 53% more than Kafue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lusaka and Kafue are more affordable than the global median – Lusaka 36% lower, Kafue 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 ZMW 111

$5.37 ZMW 109

1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.14 ZMW 610

$29.41 ZMW 596

2.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ZMW 97.9

$5.04 ZMW 102

-4.17%

Cappuccino

$2.91 ZMW 59.0

$2.86 ZMW 57.9

1.75%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.48

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZMW 9.06

$0.48 ZMW 9.70

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.68

$1.22 ZMW 24.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ZMW 44.21

$2.27 ZMW 45.89

-3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ZMW 34.76

$1.68 ZMW 33.96

2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ZMW 24.17

$1.16 ZMW 23.56

2.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 ZMW 40.42

$2.01 ZMW 40.62

-0.50%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.35

$1.94 ZMW 39.30

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ZMW 207

$10.19 ZMW 206

0.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 ZMW 123

$6.17 ZMW 125

-1.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.24 ZMW 126

$6.62 ZMW 134

-5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ZMW 65.5

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

-4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ZMW 49.53

$2.36 ZMW 47.84

3.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 ZMW 66.8

$3.24 ZMW 65.6

1.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ZMW 30.13

$1.54 ZMW 31.16

-3.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 ZMW 52.0

$2.60 ZMW 52.7

-1.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 37.30

$1.77 ZMW 35.82

3.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZMW 22.31

$1.11 ZMW 22.41

-0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ZMW 15.56

$0.71 ZMW 14.47

8.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ZMW 59.3

$3.01 ZMW 61.0

-2.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 ZMW 199

$9.92 ZMW 201

-0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.75

$1.37 ZMW 27.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ZMW 44.73

$2.27 ZMW 45.99

-2.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ZMW 19.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 ZMW 1,222

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.23

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 ZMW 30.67

$1.44 ZMW 29.07

4.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 ZMW 99.3

$5.01 ZMW 102

-2.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ZMW 29.72

$1.46 ZMW 29.61

0.68%

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

$7,434 ZMW 150.5K

$7,396 ZMW 149.8K

0.52%

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

$25.3K ZMW 512.4K

$24.7K ZMW 500.5K

2.38%

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

$70.3 ZMW 1,424

$69.0 ZMW 1,397

1.99%

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

$10.39 ZMW 210

$10.75 ZMW 218

-3.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 ZMW 1,097

$53.6 ZMW 1,085

1.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ZMW 1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ZMW 299

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ZMW 118

$5.82 ZMW 118

0.52%

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

$148 ZMW 3,006

$145 ZMW 2,945

2.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K ZMW 413.0K

$20.5K ZMW 414.8K

-0.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 ZMW 504

$24.90 ZMW 504

-0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.32 ZMW 351

$17.39 ZMW 352

-0.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.96 ZMW 910

$44.90 ZMW 909

0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 ZMW 1,344

$65.1 ZMW 1,319

1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ZMW 7,862

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,577

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ZMW 21.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 ZMW 11.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,929 ZMW 39.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,657 ZMW 175.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$364 ZMW 7,363

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lusaka: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kafue: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusaka

$232 27%

Kafue

$233 41.3% 0.3% $0.7

Accommodation & Living

Lusaka

$177 20.5%

Kafue

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusaka

$135 15.7%

Kafue

$133 23.6% 1.2% $1.6

Eating Out

Lusaka

$108 12.6%

Kafue

$108 19.1% 0.5% $0.5

Getting Around

Lusaka

$74 8.6%

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7% 87.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lusaka

$69 8%

Kafue

$69 12.2% 0.8% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lusaka

$65 7.5%

Kafue

$12 * 2.1% 82% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Lusaka versus $29 in Kafue. Groceries tell a different story – $232 in Lusaka vs $233 in Kafue – so Lusaka wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🇿🇲 Kafue

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

Same time as Lusaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,742,979 Capital

104,174

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lusaka Kafue 41 km

From you

Lusaka
Kafue

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 Kafue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $860 in Lusaka, $564 in Kafue – Kafue comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,290 per month in Lusaka and $846 in Kafue. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $148 per month in Lusaka and $145 in Kafue. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $860 in Lusaka and $564 in Kafue. That makes Kafue about 34% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $860 in Lusaka and $564 in Kafue, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lusaka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $564 in Kafue to $860 in Lusaka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.