Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zambia Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 4.3% cheaper than Zambia without rent, and 30% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 5.7% more expensive than Zambia without rent, and 7.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 145

$6.97 ZMW 139

26.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.50 R 631

$23.45 ZMW 469

64.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 R 83.2

$3.74 ZMW 74.8

35.56%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R 33.40

$1.89 ZMW 37.80

7.94%

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

$1.04 R 17.02

$0.68 ZMW 13.53

52.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R 12.08

$0.33 ZMW 6.50

124.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 R 37.83

$0.92 ZMW 18.32

151.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R 40.57

$1.50 ZMW 30.05

64.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R 17.55

$1.25 ZMW 24.92

-14.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.51

$0.82 ZMW 16.33

23.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.79

$1.83 ZMW 36.56

-14.21%

Eggs

$2.33 R 38.26

$1.53 ZMW 30.64

52.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 R 126

$7.91 ZMW 158

-2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 R 73.4

$3.92 ZMW 78.3

14.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 108

$4.91 ZMW 98.1

34.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.55

$2.31 ZMW 46.22

-32.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.80

$1.56 ZMW 31.12

-7.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.79

$2.60 ZMW 52.0

-41.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.39

$1.19 ZMW 23.80

25.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.97 ZMW 39.29

-38.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.80

$1.43 ZMW 28.58

-6.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.70

$0.91 ZMW 18.11

18.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.34

$0.56 ZMW 11.28

67.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 46.74

$2.30 ZMW 45.91

23.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 R 80.3

$6.24 ZMW 125

-21.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.64

$0.84 ZMW 16.84

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R 27.65

$1.29 ZMW 25.79

31.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 R 28.33

$0.96 ZMW 19.11

80.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.33 R 743

$39.24 ZMW 784

15.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.01

$2.48 ZMW 49.46

-55.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R 18.03

$1.03 ZMW 20.56

6.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 R 76.9

$9.36 ZMW 187

-49.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.32

$1.18 ZMW 23.51

10.17%

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

$20.6K R 337.3K

$8,112 ZMW 162.1K

153.54%

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

$24.2K R 396.4K

$28.5K ZMW 570.0K

-15.26%

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

$110 R 1,811

$86.8 ZMW 1,734

27.26%

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

$32.07 R 526

$51.0 ZMW 1,019

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.81 R 669

$123 ZMW 2,466

-66.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 514

$41.51 ZMW 829

-24.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.44 R 155

$13.67 ZMW 273

-30.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 R 113

$4.10 ZMW 81.9

68.29%

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

$187 R 3,074

$177 ZMW 3,536

5.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,385 R 71.9K

$9,450 ZMW 188.8K

-53.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 R 815

$19.64 ZMW 392

153.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 R 512

$17.66 ZMW 353

76.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 R 1,526

$79.4 ZMW 1,586

17.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R 1,307

$72.7 ZMW 1,452

9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 R 7,265

$212 ZMW 4,230

109.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,048

$127 ZMW 2,545

189.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R 14.6K

$862 ZMW 17.2K

3.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$702 ZMW 14.0K

3.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 R 18.5K

$1,980 ZMW 39.6K

-43.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 R 13.5K

$5,165 ZMW 103.2K

-84.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,486 R 24.4K

$337 ZMW 6,743

340.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

-53.80%

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

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

Last update for Zambia: January 12, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zambia Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zambia

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