Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $888 a month against $1,796 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,796

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Spain versus $888 in Zambia.

Spain $1,796
Zambia $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,612 in Spain versus $1,577 in Zambia.

Spain $2,612
Zambia $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Spain versus $2,267 in Zambia.

Spain $3,429
Zambia $2,267

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $932 to $2,592, compared to $129–$860 in Zambia. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Spain is roughly 102% more expensive than in Zambia on average.

Spain (33% above) and Zambia (34% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.07

$6.63 ZMW 134

155.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.2

$29.20 ZMW 590

92.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.08

$4.92 ZMW 99.4

130.08%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.15

$3.25 ZMW 65.6

-25.54%

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

$2.55 €2.27

$0.77 ZMW 15.52

231.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.48 ZMW 9.74

272.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.27 ZMW 25.61

162.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.59

$2.48 ZMW 50.2

62.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.80 ZMW 36.29

-36.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.19 ZMW 23.99

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.35 ZMW 47.49

-28.51%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$1.78 ZMW 36.02

92.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 €12.57

$10.04 ZMW 203

40.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 €7.69

$6.29 ZMW 127

37.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 €14.64

$6.11 ZMW 123

169.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.38 ZMW 68.3

-25.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.14 ZMW 43.23

-4.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.31 ZMW 66.9

-38.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.52 ZMW 30.69

61.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.63 ZMW 53.2

-28.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.92 ZMW 38.86

1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.17 ZMW 23.68

17.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.74 ZMW 14.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.89

$2.98 ZMW 60.2

121.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.92

$10.03 ZMW 203

-44.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.30 ZMW 26.18

-1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.02 ZMW 40.76

2.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.96 ZMW 19.38

70.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 €29.20

$55.0 ZMW 1,112

-40.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.48 ZMW 50.1

57.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.59 ZMW 32.15

-16.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.47 €23.57

$8.85 ZMW 179

199.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.35 ZMW 27.31

29.63%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$6,270 ZMW 126.7K

456.02%

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

$30.6K €27.2K

$41.6K ZMW 840.5K

-26.44%

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

$146 €130

$77.5 ZMW 1,567

88.16%

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

$17.77 €15.83

$11.24 ZMW 227

58.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.25 €28.72

$57.7 ZMW 1,166

-44.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 €40.01

$48.69 ZMW 984

-7.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.37

$15.83 ZMW 320

-5.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 €8.33

$6.63 ZMW 134

41.18%

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

$564 €502

$147 ZMW 2,962

284.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.8K

$20.0K ZMW 403.3K

-33.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.0

$25.13 ZMW 508

235.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.06 €33.00

$13.67 ZMW 276

171.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 €81.2

$57.6 ZMW 1,164

58.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €95.9

$77.5 ZMW 1,567

38.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €913

$456 ZMW 9,226

124.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 €738

$176 ZMW 3,553

371.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,061 ZMW 21.4K

54.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 €1,096

$725 ZMW 14.6K

69.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,131 €3,678

$3,803 ZMW 76.9K

8.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,439

$3,966 ZMW 80.1K

-30.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,012 €1,792

$461 ZMW 9,319

336.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

26.25

-87.43%

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

Last update for Spain: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$829 46.2%

Zambia

$176 19.8% 78.8% $653

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.2%

Zambia

$233 26.2% 14.6% $40

Eating Out

Spain

$241 13.4%

Zambia

$123 13.9% 48.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 10.9%

Zambia

$146 16.5% 25.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$144 8%

Zambia

$78 8.8% 45.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.5%

Zambia

$62 7% 2.7% $1.7

Getting Around

Spain

$50 2.8%

Zambia

$69 7.8% 39.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $937 in Spain, $590 in Zambia. Capital cities: $1,525 in Madrid vs $388 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $1,975 in Spain, $358 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 59% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 97% more in Spain.

Public transport is 94% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are about 5.5 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

19,610,769

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 20.21 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.7 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Spain Zambia 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
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

Spain vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,796 per month in Spain and $888 in Zambia, Zambia comes out about 51% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $937 in Spain and $590 in Zambia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Zambia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.