Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $726 in Ndola, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ndola and in Cairo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ndola and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $726 per month in Ndola vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Ndola $726
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,738 per month in Ndola vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Ndola $1,738
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,750 per month in Ndola vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Ndola $2,750
Cairo $1,423

Ndola costs about 12% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ndola and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Ndola 46% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 ZMW 110

$4.64 E£248

18.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.75 ZMW 612

$28.12 E£1,501

9.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

$6.03 E£322

-18.08%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

$1.72 E£92.1

59.88%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

$0.36 E£19.38

44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

$0.12 E£6.41

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

$1.51 E£80.4

-15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

$2.32 E£124

-4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

$0.92 E£48.92

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

$0.73 E£38.92

54.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

$0.74 E£39.64

171.62%

Eggs

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

$1.19 E£63.7

36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ZMW 206

$4.33 E£231

139.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ZMW 129

$5.03 E£269

28.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 ZMW 128

$9.28 E£496

-30.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

$1.77 E£94.4

-12.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

$0.73 E£39.03

226.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

$0.55 E£29.51

572.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

$0.50 E£26.91

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

$0.42 E£22.42

516.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

$0.41 E£21.81

358.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

$0.33 E£17.51

239.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

$0.21 E£11.20

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

$1.98 E£106

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.98 ZMW 198

$7.81 E£417

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

$1.59 E£84.7

-10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

$2.09 E£112

8.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

$0.35 E£18.83

108.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

$0.39 E£21.02

566.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

$0.22 E£11.57

568.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZMW 102

$1.51 E£80.5

239.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

$0.43 E£22.88

211.63%

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

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-77.02%

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

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

$27.2K E£1.5M

-0.62%

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

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

$27.27 E£1,456

198.97%

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

$10.36 ZMW 206

$8.58 E£458

20.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

$13.99 E£747

295.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 ZMW 121

$4.86 E£260

25.51%

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

$138 ZMW 2,743

$121 E£6,438

14.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

$3,560 E£190.1K

361.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.72 ZMW 472

$40.28 E£2,151

-41.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.32 ZMW 305

$49.53 E£2,645

-69.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.00 ZMW 895

$115 E£6,137

-60.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

$60.0 E£3,206

20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,508

$222 E£11.9K

-20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ZMW 3,050

$195 E£10.4K

-21.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ZMW 7,630

$550 E£29.3K

-30.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

$346 E£18.5K

334.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ZMW 12.0K

$200 E£10.7K

201.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

78.90%

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

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$224 30.9%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 36.7% $82

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$153 21.1%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 27.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$147 20.3%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 66.2% $97

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.6%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 15% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.7%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 69.6% $49

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 10% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 223% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Ndola versus $222 in Cairo. 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 201% higher in Ndola, 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 Ndola versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ndola Cairo 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ndola
Cairo

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

Ndola vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ndola is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,089 per month in Ndola and $970 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $726 in Ndola and $647 in Cairo. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $138 per month in Ndola and $121 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $726 in Ndola and $647 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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