Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and Lusaka

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.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ndola and in Lusaka

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

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

Ndola $719
Lusaka $872

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

Ndola $1,721
Lusaka $1,488

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

Ndola $2,723
Lusaka $2,103

Living in Ndola costs roughly 17% less than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 ZMW 111

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ZMW 597

$29.94 ZMW 595

0.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

0.20%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

-2.82%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

-32.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

-3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

-3.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

-2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

5.97%

Eggs

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

-20.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ZMW 202

$10.49 ZMW 209

-3.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ZMW 123

$6.34 ZMW 126

-2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ZMW 133

$6.61 ZMW 131

1.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

-55.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

-1.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

2.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

-1.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

0.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

5.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 ZMW 196

$10.09 ZMW 201

-2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

1.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

-25.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.0 ZMW 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

4.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

0.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ZMW 100

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

0.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

-10.60%

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

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

-3.29%

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

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

-3.41%

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

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

-1.82%

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

$10.45 ZMW 208

$10.28 ZMW 204

1.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

1.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 ZMW 303

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ZMW 120

$6.03 ZMW 120

0.17%

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

$135 ZMW 2,692

$139 ZMW 2,774

-2.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

-1.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.64 ZMW 470

$23.04 ZMW 458

2.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.39 ZMW 306

$15.19 ZMW 302

1.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 ZMW 909

$45.38 ZMW 903

0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

-2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,526

$380 ZMW 7,564

-53.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 ZMW 2,948

$177 ZMW 3,513

-16.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ZMW 7,365

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

-65.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

$593 ZMW 11.8K

149.99%

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)

$596 ZMW 11.9K

$316 ZMW 6,290

88.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$223 31.1%

Lusaka

$238 27.3% 6.4% $14

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$148 20.6%

Lusaka

$177 20.3% 19.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$146 20.3%

Lusaka

$146 16.8% 0.3% $0.4

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.8%

Lusaka

$110 12.6% 3.1% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.8%

Lusaka

$70 8.1% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 389% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 456% $55

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 $177 in Ndola and $380 in Lusaka. 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 Ndola vs $30.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $238 per month, with Ndola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

1,742,979 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Ndola Lusaka 270 km

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Ndola
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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

Ndola vs Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 89% higher in Ndola, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $135 in Ndola versus $139 in Lusaka. 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.