Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $719 a month against $872 in Lusaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index

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Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lusaka and in Ndola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $872 in Lusaka versus $719 in Ndola.

Lusaka $872
Ndola $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,488 in Lusaka versus $1,721 in Ndola.

Lusaka $1,488
Ndola $1,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,103 in Lusaka versus $2,723 in Ndola.

Lusaka $2,103
Ndola $2,723

Living in Lusaka is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lusaka 36% lower, Ndola 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 ZMW 111

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.94 ZMW 595

$30.02 ZMW 597

-0.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

-0.20%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

2.90%

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

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

48.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

4.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

2.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

-0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

-5.63%

Eggs

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

25.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 ZMW 209

$10.15 ZMW 202

3.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 ZMW 126

$6.18 ZMW 123

2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 ZMW 131

$6.71 ZMW 133

-1.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

124.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

1.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

-2.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

-0.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

-0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

-4.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.09 ZMW 201

$9.83 ZMW 196

2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

-2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

-1.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

34.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.0 ZMW 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

-4.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

-0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

$5.03 ZMW 100

-0.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

11.85%

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

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

3.40%

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

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

3.53%

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

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

1.86%

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

$10.28 ZMW 204

$10.45 ZMW 208

-1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

-1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 ZMW 303

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ZMW 120

$6.04 ZMW 120

-0.17%

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

$139 ZMW 2,774

$135 ZMW 2,692

3.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.04 ZMW 458

$23.64 ZMW 470

-2.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.19 ZMW 302

$15.39 ZMW 306

-1.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.38 ZMW 903

$45.69 ZMW 909

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

2.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ZMW 7,564

$177 ZMW 3,526

114.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,513

$148 ZMW 2,948

19.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

$370 ZMW 7,365

188.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ZMW 11.8K

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

-60.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,895 ZMW 37.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,017 ZMW 99.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$316 ZMW 6,290

$596 ZMW 11.9K

-46.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lusaka

$238 27.3%

Ndola

$223 31.1% 6% $14

Accommodation & Living

Lusaka

$177 20.3%

Ndola

$148 20.6% 16.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusaka

$146 16.8%

Ndola

$146 20.3% 0.3% $0.4

Eating Out

Lusaka

$110 12.6%

Ndola

$106 14.8% 3% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lusaka

$70 8.1%

Ndola

$70 9.8% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lusaka

$67 7.7%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 82% $55

Getting Around

Lusaka

$64 7.3%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 79.5% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $380 in Lusaka and $177 in Ndola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ndola pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Lusaka vs $30.00 in Ndola. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $223, with Ndola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

Same time as Lusaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,742,979 Capital

455,194

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Lusaka Ndola 270 km

From you

Lusaka
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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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lusaka and Ndola differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($872 vs $719 including rent). Ndola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Ndola. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $380 in Lusaka versus $177 in Ndola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $139 in Lusaka versus $135 in Ndola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ndola – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $30.00 in Lusaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Ndola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lusaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.