Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $889 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$889

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lusaka and in London

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Lusaka vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Lusaka $889
London $4,086

A couple spends around $1,510 per month in Lusaka vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Lusaka $1,510
London $5,816

A family of three spends $2,131 per month in Lusaka vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Lusaka $2,131
London $7,546

Lusaka is about 78% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lusaka sits 34% below the global median, while London is 205% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.74 ZMW 114

$26.62 £20.11

-78.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.85 ZMW 612

$108 £81.3

-71.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ZMW 98.4

$10.39 £7.85

-52.26%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ZMW 57.4

$5.79 £4.38

-49.91%

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

$0.74 ZMW 14.65

$3.01 £2.27

-75.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZMW 9.16

$2.15 £1.63

-78.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.85

$9.35 £7.06

-86.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 44.98

$7.84 £5.93

-71.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 34.83

$1.79 £1.35

-1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ZMW 23.41

$2.06 £1.56

-42.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ZMW 42.28

$2.31 £1.74

-7.79%

Eggs

$1.92 ZMW 38.15

$5.05 £3.82

-61.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ZMW 205

$12.57 £9.50

-17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.25 ZMW 124

$10.66 £8.05

-41.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 131

$17.13 £12.94

-61.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 69.0

$3.03 £2.29

14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 ZMW 47.66

$1.41 £1.07

70.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 ZMW 71.1

$3.05 £2.31

17.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ZMW 31.25

$3.38 £2.56

-53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 ZMW 50.1

$1.67 £1.26

51.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ZMW 35.93

$1.73 £1.31

4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.23

$1.41 £1.07

-20.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ZMW 15.68

$1.79 £1.35

-55.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ZMW 58.7

$23.22 £17.55

-87.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 ZMW 203

$12.99 £9.82

-21.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ZMW 28.53

$3.18 £2.40

-54.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ZMW 46.63

$4.41 £3.33

-46.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.51

$3.87 £2.93

-74.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.75 ZMW 987

$250 £189

-80.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 49.71

$5.71 £4.31

-56.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ZMW 30.84

$3.33 £2.51

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ZMW 99.6

$57.9 £43.76

-91.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ZMW 30.69

$2.04 £1.54

-24.02%

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

$7,507 ZMW 148.9K

$37.5K £28.4K

-80.01%

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

$27.0K ZMW 536.2K

$40.9K £30.9K

-33.89%

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

$80.5 ZMW 1,595

$376 £284

-78.61%

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

$10.41 ZMW 207

$17.88 £13.51

-41.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 ZMW 1,101

$40.01 £30.24

38.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 ZMW 1,100

$61.2 £46.22

-9.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.10 ZMW 300

$21.07 £15.93

-28.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 ZMW 119

$17.95 £13.57

-66.57%

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

$139 ZMW 2,748

$2,865 £2,165

-95.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ZMW 331.0K

$35.3K £26.7K

-52.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.34 ZMW 463

$116 £87.7

-79.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.35 ZMW 304

$54.1 £40.87

-71.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.95 ZMW 911

$127 £95.7

-63.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 ZMW 1,433

$159 £120

-54.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ZMW 7,744

$2,853 £2,156

-86.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ZMW 3,575

$2,301 £1,739

-92.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 ZMW 21.9K

$5,201 £3,931

-78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 ZMW 11.8K

$3,723 £2,813

-84.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,906 ZMW 37.8K

$19.0K £14.4K

-89.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,999 ZMW 99.1K

$7,881 £5,955

-36.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$317 ZMW 6,282

$4,818 £3,641

-93.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

523.66%

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

Last update for Lusaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusaka

$239 27.2%

London

$349 8.6% 45.9% $110

Accommodation & Living

Lusaka

$180 20.5%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 1177% $2.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusaka

$146 16.7%

London

$434 10.7% 196% $288

Eating Out

Lusaka

$111 12.7%

London

$397 9.7% 256% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Lusaka

$71 8%

London

$205 5% 191% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Lusaka

$67 7.7%

London

$97 2.4% 43.9% $30

Getting Around

Lusaka

$64 7.3%

London

$288 7.1% 350% $224

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $391 in Lusaka versus $2,853 in London. 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 1421% higher in London, 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 $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $349 – making Lusaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h behind Lusaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,742,979 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lusaka London 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusaka
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Lusaka, $4,086 in London – roughly 359% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Lusaka and $6,129 in London. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in London, 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 $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lusaka, where all-in costs run around $889, than in London at $4,086. In Lusaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Lusaka to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Lusaka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.