Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotherham and Lusaka Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotherham and Lusaka

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,325 in Rotherham versus $876 in Lusaka.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,471 in Rotherham versus $1,489 in Lusaka.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,616 in Rotherham versus $2,103 in Lusaka.

Living in Rotherham is roughly 166% more expensive than Lusaka, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rotherham is 74% above, Lusaka is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.19 £15.01

$7.11 ZMW 127

183.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.4 £71.7

$24.96 ZMW 446

286.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.01

$3.63 ZMW 64.8

196.97%

Cappuccino

$5.07 £3.77

$2.01 ZMW 35.86

152.24%

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

$2.45 £1.82

$0.73 ZMW 13.05

235.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.25

$0.34 ZMW 6.04

397.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 £4.16

$0.96 ZMW 17.05

483.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 £4.49

$1.82 ZMW 32.42

231.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.19

$1.26 ZMW 22.53

26.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 £1.12

$0.74 ZMW 13.16

104.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.67

$1.58 ZMW 28.26

42.41%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.95

$1.77 ZMW 31.65

124.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 £7.01

$7.86 ZMW 140

19.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 £6.62

$3.83 ZMW 68.4

132.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.04 £8.95

$4.57 ZMW 81.6

163.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 £2.36

$2.50 ZMW 44.69

27.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.58 ZMW 28.28

-4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.20

$2.69 ZMW 47.96

10.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.51

$1.17 ZMW 20.91

188.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 £1.51

$1.87 ZMW 33.43

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.38 ZMW 24.63

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.94

$0.87 ZMW 15.54

45.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.06

$0.52 ZMW 9.30

173.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.76 £13.95

$2.54 ZMW 45.39

638.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 £7.68

$10.95 ZMW 195

-5.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 £1.88

$1.13 ZMW 20.24

123.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 £2.53

$1.50 ZMW 26.75

127.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 £2.08

$0.96 ZMW 17.11

191.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £66.5

$38.24 ZMW 683

134.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 £3.96

$2.79 ZMW 49.72

91.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 £0.80

$1.15 ZMW 20.50

-6.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.23 £15.04

$8.92 ZMW 159

126.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.19 ZMW 21.29

61.34%

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

$38.7K £28.7K

$7,968 ZMW 142.2K

385.34%

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

$38.7K £28.8K

$28.4K ZMW 506.8K

36.38%

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

$310 £230

$90.1 ZMW 1,608

243.86%

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

$18.46 £13.72

$53.6 ZMW 956

-65.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.28 £32.17

$127 ZMW 2,263

-65.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.92 £33.39

$45.11 ZMW 805

-0.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.99 ZMW 250

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 £9.89

$4.29 ZMW 76.6

210.26%

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

$1,259 £935

$177 ZMW 3,161

610.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,663 £4,952

$9,528 ZMW 170.1K

-30.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 £63.5

$19.25 ZMW 344

344.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 £30.96

$17.27 ZMW 308

141.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 £66.4

$86.0 ZMW 1,535

3.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 £79.2

$73.7 ZMW 1,316

44.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 £891

$224 ZMW 4,007

434.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 £741

$120 ZMW 2,148

728.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 £1,499

$1,053 ZMW 18.8K

91.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 £1,263

$585 ZMW 10.4K

190.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,973 ZMW 35.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,281 ZMW 76.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,880 £1,397

$296 ZMW 5,286

534.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

-77.40%

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

Last update for Rotherham: May 30, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,199 in Rotherham and $224 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotherham pays 535% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $96.0 in Rotherham vs $25.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $177 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

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

Rotherham vs Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotherham and Lusaka differ by about 166% in total monthly costs ($2,325 vs $876 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Rotherham pays 535% more on average, 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: $1,199 in Rotherham versus $224 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,325 per month in Rotherham versus $876 in Lusaka – a 166% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 134% less than in Rotherham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $876 in Lusaka versus $2,325 in Rotherham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Rotherham. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Rotherham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.