Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Ndola Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Ndola

😐 Solo nomad: Lusaka is 18.2% more expensive than Ndola without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lusaka is 23.3% more expensive than Ndola without rent, and 24.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.35 ZMW 141
$7.25 ZMW 139
1.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.43 ZMW 487
$24.56 ZMW 470
3.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.70 ZMW 70.7
$3.64 ZMW 69.7
1.65%
Cappuccino
$1.93 ZMW 36.94
$1.97 ZMW 37.63
-2.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 ZMW 13.18
$0.35 ZMW 6.67
97.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ZMW 6.92
$0.20 ZMW 3.92
80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.89 ZMW 17.03
$0.92 ZMW 17.64
-3.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ZMW 34.56
$1.77 ZMW 33.94
2.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ZMW 24.17
$1.30 ZMW 24.79
-3.08%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 ZMW 14.17
$0.79 ZMW 15.03
-6.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 ZMW 30.35
$1.58 ZMW 30.30
0.63%
Eggs
$1.82 ZMW 34.85
$1.33 ZMW 25.37
36.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.93 ZMW 152
$7.75 ZMW 148
2.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.83 ZMW 73.2
$3.80 ZMW 72.8
0.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.61 ZMW 88.2
$4.59 ZMW 87.9
0.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 ZMW 49.95
$1.23 ZMW 23.47
112.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ZMW 30.78
$1.63 ZMW 31.25
-1.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.69 ZMW 51.5
$2.69 ZMW 51.4
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.12 ZMW 21.45
$1.13 ZMW 21.56
-0.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 ZMW 35.99
$1.90 ZMW 36.40
-1.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 ZMW 26.56
$1.34 ZMW 25.59
3.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 ZMW 18.05
$0.94 ZMW 17.92
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ZMW 9.88
$0.49 ZMW 9.32
6.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.52 ZMW 48.29
$2.54 ZMW 48.50
-0.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 ZMW 143
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 ZMW 21.82
$1.13 ZMW 21.68
0.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ZMW 29.94
$1.58 ZMW 30.29
-1.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 ZMW 18.25
$0.52 ZMW 9.91
82.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.75 ZMW 741
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 ZMW 53.0
$1.77 ZMW 33.85
56.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 ZMW 21.92
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.03 ZMW 173
$9.13 ZMW 175
-1.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 ZMW 22.89
$1.18 ZMW 22.59
1.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,118 ZMW 155.3K
$8,146 ZMW 155.8K
-0.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K ZMW 536.8K
$28.5K ZMW 544.6K
-1.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$90.3 ZMW 1,727
$92.4 ZMW 1,768
-2.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.0 ZMW 994
$36.82 ZMW 704
41.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$127 ZMW 2,433
$127 ZMW 2,438
-0.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.62 ZMW 854
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.95 ZMW 267
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.14 ZMW 79.2
$4.09 ZMW 78.3
1.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$176 ZMW 3,358
$174 ZMW 3,324
1.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,737 ZMW 186.3K
$9,579 ZMW 183.2K
1.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.25 ZMW 368
$18.62 ZMW 356
3.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.30 ZMW 331
$16.78 ZMW 321
3.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.4 ZMW 1,614
$85.7 ZMW 1,640
-1.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.4 ZMW 1,423
$73.1 ZMW 1,399
1.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$225 ZMW 4,303
$127 ZMW 2,435
76.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$123 ZMW 2,360
$110 ZMW 2,096
12.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 ZMW 20.2K
$275 ZMW 5,265
283.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$583 ZMW 11.2K
$1,475 ZMW 28.2K
-60.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,942 ZMW 37.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,863 ZMW 73.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lusaka
Ndola
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$348 ZMW 6,666
$600 ZMW 11.5K
-41.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
25
25
-

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

Last update for Lusaka: March 1, 2026

Last update for Ndola: March 1, 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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