Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $898 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Zambia

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $898 in Zambia, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Zambia $898

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $1,593 in Zambia, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Zambia $1,593

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $2,287 in Zambia, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Zambia $2,287

Cost ranges are similar: South Africa spans $618–$1,556, Zambia $131–$863. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 34% higher than in Zambia on average.

Both South Africa and Zambia are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Zambia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$6.88 ZMW 139

55.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$29.72 ZMW 599

40.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$5.11 ZMW 103

13.50%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$3.00 ZMW 60.4

-21.33%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$0.73 ZMW 14.68

53.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.44 ZMW 8.88

104.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$1.23 ZMW 24.69

96.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$2.52 ZMW 50.7

21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.76 ZMW 35.49

-32.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.15 ZMW 23.09

-1.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.39 ZMW 48.20

-27.20%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$1.77 ZMW 35.69

45.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$10.20 ZMW 206

-17.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$6.49 ZMW 131

-21.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$6.02 ZMW 121

26.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$3.35 ZMW 67.5

-47.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.21 ZMW 44.61

-21.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$3.57 ZMW 71.9

-50.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$1.54 ZMW 31.10

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$2.76 ZMW 55.7

-46.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.84 ZMW 37.15

-20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$1.17 ZMW 23.48

5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.70 ZMW 14.03

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.80 ZMW 56.4

15.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$9.66 ZMW 195

-48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.38 ZMW 27.71

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$2.07 ZMW 41.66

-6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$1.01 ZMW 20.26

46.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$49.68 ZMW 1,001

19.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

-56.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$1.63 ZMW 32.85

-39.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$8.63 ZMW 174

-13.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.45 ZMW 29.18

-1.38%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$6,253 ZMW 126.0K

464.55%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$39.2K ZMW 789.4K

-17.21%

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

$133 R 2,208

$91.1 ZMW 1,836

45.64%

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

$34.83 R 580

$10.68 ZMW 215

226.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$58.6 ZMW 1,181

-32.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$50.0 ZMW 1,008

-33.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$16.42 ZMW 331

-29.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$6.84 ZMW 138

4.97%

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

$224 R 3,728

$140 ZMW 2,831

59.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$16.4K ZMW 330.0K

-66.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$23.74 ZMW 478

128.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$14.37 ZMW 290

137.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$58.5 ZMW 1,179

74.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$75.4 ZMW 1,519

17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$447 ZMW 9,017

9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$176 ZMW 3,549

125.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

-10.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$734 ZMW 14.8K

12.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$3,827 ZMW 77.1K

-71.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$6,287 ZMW 126.7K

-87.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$422 ZMW 8,507

255.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

26.25

-57.22%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Zambia

$176 19.6% 55.7% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Zambia

$160 17.9% 22.6% $47

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Zambia

$234 26.1% 19.5% $38

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Zambia

$122 13.6% 22.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Zambia

$77 8.6% 38.3% $48

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Zambia

$64 7.2% 9.6% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Zambia

$64 7.1% 34.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $591 in Zambia. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $380 in Lusaka.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $340 in Zambia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 40% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 34% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 22% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

19,610,769

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 20.15 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.96 USD). 1 EUR = 22.43 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Zambia 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Zambia

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

South Africa vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 25% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 34% price gap.

Zambia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.