Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Zambia Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in United Kingdom versus $276 in Zambia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,520 in United Kingdom versus $548 in Zambia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,635 in United Kingdom versus $820 in Zambia.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 771% more expensive than in Zambia on average.

United Kingdom (74% above) and Zambia (80% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.52 £15.90

$6.91 ZMW 133

211.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.0 £65.0

$31.38 ZMW 604

180.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 £8.05

$5.31 ZMW 102

105.08%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.64

$3.10 ZMW 59.7

58.71%

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

$2.59 £1.91

$0.80 ZMW 15.31

223.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.36

$0.49 ZMW 9.47

275.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 £5.11

$1.27 ZMW 24.52

444.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 £5.07

$2.52 ZMW 48.52

172.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.23

$1.83 ZMW 35.17

-8.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.23

$1.27 ZMW 24.36

31.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.63

$2.44 ZMW 46.96

-9.84%

Eggs

$4.19 £3.10

$1.88 ZMW 36.19

122.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 £7.38

$10.64 ZMW 205

-6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 £7.00

$6.54 ZMW 126

44.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.39

$6.46 ZMW 124

138.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.23

$3.60 ZMW 69.2

-16.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.25

$2.21 ZMW 42.63

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.16

$3.59 ZMW 69.1

-18.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.50

$1.53 ZMW 29.49

120.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.36

$2.84 ZMW 54.6

-35.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.95 ZMW 37.49

-18.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.23 ZMW 23.74

2.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.73 ZMW 14.13

132.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.90

$2.90 ZMW 55.9

734.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 £8.13

$10.28 ZMW 198

7.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.21

$1.37 ZMW 26.28

117.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.51

$2.10 ZMW 40.41

61.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.53

$1.06 ZMW 20.36

223.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £77.9

$52.9 ZMW 1,018

99.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 £3.96

$2.60 ZMW 50.0

106.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 £1.75

$1.72 ZMW 33.13

37.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.55 £20.36

$9.20 ZMW 177

199.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.43

$1.46 ZMW 28.12

32.19%

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

$39.7K £29.3K

$6,647 ZMW 127.9K

497.08%

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

$40.7K £30.1K

$39.0K ZMW 751.1K

4.21%

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

$321 £238

$94.1 ZMW 1,812

241.47%

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

$18.67 £13.80

$11.58 ZMW 223

61.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.93 £32.47

$61.1 ZMW 1,176

-28.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.56 £34.41

$52.6 ZMW 1,012

-11.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.71 £13.83

$17.29 ZMW 333

8.21%

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 £10.00

$6.96 ZMW 134

94.40%

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

$1,739 £1,285

$146 ZMW 2,817

1088.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K £16.7K

$16.6K ZMW 319.9K

36.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £67.2

$25.28 ZMW 487

259.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.40 £35.04

$15.33 ZMW 295

209.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £77.8

$61.4 ZMW 1,182

71.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £74.9

$77.7 ZMW 1,496

30.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 £1,022

$449 ZMW 8,652

207.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 £809

$178 ZMW 3,436

513.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 £1,638

$1,086 ZMW 20.9K

104.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 £1,341

$729 ZMW 14.0K

148.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,730 £4,235

$3,987 ZMW 76.8K

43.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,515 £3,337

$6,500 ZMW 125.1K

-30.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,461

$432 ZMW 8,308

671.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

26.25

-79.73%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: September 5, 2026

Last update for Zambia: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,285 in United Kingdom, $110 in Zambia. Capital cities: $2,926 in London vs $384 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $3,292 in United Kingdom, $346 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1068% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 546% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 2767% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 851% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Kingdom.

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

United Kingdom vs Zambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,668 per month in United Kingdom and $454 in Zambia, there's a 488% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Zambia: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom is consistently higher than in Zambia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Zambia, $800 covers most cities easily; in United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Zambia wins on affordability; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.