Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $726 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ndola 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 Ndola and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $726 per month in Ndola vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Ndola $726
London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,738 per month in Ndola vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Ndola $1,738
London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,750 per month in Ndola vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Ndola $2,750
London $7,595

Ndola is about 82% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ndola sits 46% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 ZMW 110

$25.93 £19.45

-78.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.75 ZMW 612

$107 £79.9

-71.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

$10.71 £8.03

-53.87%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

$5.47 £4.11

-49.73%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

$2.97 £2.23

-82.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

$2.20 £1.65

-88.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

$9.13 £6.85

-85.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

$7.94 £5.96

-72.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

$1.86 £1.40

-13.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

$2.07 £1.55

-45.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

$2.42 £1.81

-16.94%

Eggs

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

$5.09 £3.82

-68.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ZMW 206

$12.87 £9.66

-19.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ZMW 129

$10.43 £7.82

-37.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 ZMW 128

$16.87 £12.66

-61.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

$3.11 £2.33

-50.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

$1.40 £1.05

70.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

$3.08 £2.31

20.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

$3.27 £2.45

-54.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

$1.58 £1.19

63.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

$1.74 £1.31

8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

$1.40 £1.05

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

$1.80 £1.35

-65.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

$23.28 £17.46

-86.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.98 ZMW 198

$13.03 £9.77

-23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

$3.17 £2.38

-55.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

$4.42 £3.32

-48.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

$4.07 £3.05

-82.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

$5.58 £4.18

-53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

$3.36 £2.52

-56.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZMW 102

$56.8 £42.58

-90.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

$2.13 £1.60

-37.09%

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

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

$38.2K £28.6K

-80.32%

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

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

$40.9K £30.7K

-33.84%

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

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

$372 £279

-78.09%

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

$10.36 ZMW 206

$17.82 £13.37

-41.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

$40.37 £30.29

37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 ZMW 121

$17.74 £13.31

-65.61%

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

$138 ZMW 2,743

$2,864 £2,149

-95.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

$35.3K £26.5K

-53.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.72 ZMW 472

$114 £85.5

-79.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.32 ZMW 305

$54.3 £40.71

-71.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.00 ZMW 895

$124 £93.2

-63.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

$163 £122

-55.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,508

$2,869 £2,152

-93.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ZMW 3,050

$2,233 £1,675

-93.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ZMW 7,630

$5,266 £3,951

-92.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

$3,778 £2,835

-60.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ZMW 12.0K

$5,037 £3,779

-88.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

511.81%

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

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$224 30.9%

London

$349 8.8% 56% $125

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$153 21.1%

London

$2.2K 56% 1356% $2.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$147 20.3%

London

$430 10.8% 192% $283

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.6%

London

$388 9.7% 266% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.7%

London

$205 5.1% 192% $135

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

London

$285 7.2% 2120% $273

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

London

$95 2.4% 682% $83

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 $2,869 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 737% 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 Ndola versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $349 – making Ndola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h behind Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ndola London 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ndola
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

Ndola vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Ndola, $3,986 in London – roughly 449% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,089 per month in Ndola and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ndola, 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 $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 449%.

Kindergarten costs $138 per month in Ndola and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ndola, where all-in costs run around $726, than in London at $3,986. In Ndola 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 $726 in Ndola to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ndola. 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.