Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Zambia

Name: Zambia
Address: ZM

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $888 a month against $2,508 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,508

/mo nomad

🇿🇲 Zambia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,508 in the United Kingdom versus $888 in Zambia.

United Kingdom $2,508
Zambia $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,619 in the United Kingdom versus $1,577 in Zambia.

United Kingdom $3,619
Zambia $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,730 in the United Kingdom versus $2,267 in Zambia.

United Kingdom $4,730
Zambia $2,267

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,139 to $4,519, compared to $129–$860 in Zambia. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 183% more expensive than in Zambia on average.

The United Kingdom (85% above) and Zambia (34% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.67 £16.11

$6.63 ZMW 134

226.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 £64.0

$29.20 ZMW 592

194.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.82

$4.92 ZMW 99.7

113.82%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.64

$3.25 ZMW 65.8

50.46%

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

$2.60 £1.93

$0.77 ZMW 15.57

237.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.40

$0.48 ZMW 9.77

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 £5.07

$1.27 ZMW 25.69

437.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 £4.87

$2.48 ZMW 50.4

164.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.80 ZMW 36.40

-5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.19 ZMW 24.06

39.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.66

$2.35 ZMW 47.63

-5.11%

Eggs

$4.14 £3.08

$1.78 ZMW 36.13

132.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 £7.39

$10.04 ZMW 204

-1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 £6.97

$6.29 ZMW 127

48.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 £10.92

$6.11 ZMW 124

140.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.30

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

-8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.20

$2.14 ZMW 43.36

-24.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 £2.16

$3.31 ZMW 67.1

-12.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.52

$1.52 ZMW 30.78

123.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$2.63 ZMW 53.3

-32.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.92 ZMW 38.97

-15.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.88

$1.17 ZMW 23.75

1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.22

$0.74 ZMW 15.04

121.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.10 £17.91

$2.98 ZMW 60.3

708.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.78 £8.01

$10.03 ZMW 203

7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.30 ZMW 26.25

139.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 £2.55

$2.02 ZMW 40.88

69.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.95 £2.93

$0.96 ZMW 19.44

311.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.1

$55.0 ZMW 1,116

95.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 £3.90

$2.48 ZMW 50.3

111.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 £1.60

$1.59 ZMW 32.24

35.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 £19.66

$8.85 ZMW 179

198.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.53

$1.35 ZMW 27.39

52.59%

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

$39.6K £29.4K

$6,270 ZMW 127.1K

531.73%

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

$41.3K £30.7K

$41.6K ZMW 843.0K

-0.67%

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

$324 £241

$77.5 ZMW 1,572

317.66%

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

$18.04 £13.41

$11.24 ZMW 228

60.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.17 £32.09

$57.7 ZMW 1,169

-25.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.63 £30.94

$48.69 ZMW 987

-14.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.43 £13.70

$15.83 ZMW 321

16.42%

Cinema Ticket

$14.10 £10.48

$6.63 ZMW 134

112.67%

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

$1,846 £1,372

$147 ZMW 2,971

1159.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.8K £19.9K

$20.0K ZMW 404.5K

34.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 £69.3

$25.13 ZMW 509

270.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 £33.81

$13.67 ZMW 277

232.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.0

$57.6 ZMW 1,167

77.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £74.4

$77.5 ZMW 1,572

29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 £1,023

$456 ZMW 9,253

201.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 £833

$176 ZMW 3,563

537.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,249 £1,672

$1,061 ZMW 21.5K

111.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,729 £1,285

$725 ZMW 14.7K

138.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,631 £4,185

$3,803 ZMW 77.1K

48.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,197 £3,120

$3,966 ZMW 80.4K

5.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,540 £2,631

$461 ZMW 9,347

667.64%

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 the United Kingdom: October 31, 2026

Last update for Zambia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7%

Zambia

$176 19.8% 84.3% $945

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$385 15.4%

Zambia

$146 16.5% 62% $239

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$329 13.1%

Zambia

$123 13.9% 62.6% $206

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$311 12.4%

Zambia

$233 26.2% 25.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$153 6.1%

Zambia

$78 8.8% 49% $75

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.6%

Zambia

$69 7.8% 50.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.8%

Zambia

$62 7% 11.3% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,311 in the United Kingdom, $590 in Zambia. Capital cities: $2,935 in London vs $388 in Lusaka.

National salary averages: $3,387 in the United Kingdom, $358 in Zambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 122% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 190% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 9.5 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇿🇲 Zambia

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

19,610,769

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.93 USD

100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 20.27 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.93 USD). 1 EUR = 22.78 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Zambia 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

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

At $2,508 per month in the United Kingdom and $888 in Zambia, Zambia comes out about 65% cheaper. 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 cheaper in Zambia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,311 in the United Kingdom 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.