Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $2,537 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zambia and in Australia

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

A single person spends $905 per month in Zambia vs $2,537 in Australia, rent included.

Zambia $905
Australia $2,537

A couple spends around $1,615 per month in Zambia vs $3,682 in Australia, rent included.

Zambia $1,615
Australia $3,682

A family of three spends $2,325 per month in Zambia vs $4,828 in Australia, rent included.

Zambia $2,325
Australia $4,828

The cost of living in Zambia is roughly 64% lower than in Australia on average.

Zambia sits 32% below the global median, while Australia is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 ZMW 136

$17.66 A$25.27

-61.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 ZMW 597

$82.8 A$118

-63.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ZMW 103

$11.22 A$16.05

-53.65%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

$3.85 A$5.51

-21.30%

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

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

$2.85 A$4.08

-72.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

$2.37 A$3.39

-79.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

$7.85 A$11.23

-83.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

$8.49 A$12.16

-70.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

$1.74 A$2.49

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

$2.78 A$3.98

-55.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

$2.21 A$3.16

10.41%

Eggs

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

$5.06 A$7.25

-63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ZMW 207

$9.87 A$14.12

5.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ZMW 130

$8.95 A$12.80

-26.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.13 ZMW 122

$14.71 A$21.06

-58.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

$3.76 A$5.39

-7.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

$2.99 A$4.28

-28.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

$3.10 A$4.43

13.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

$4.62 A$6.61

-66.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

$2.82 A$4.03

-0.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

$2.30 A$3.29

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

$2.32 A$3.32

-50.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

$1.71 A$2.44

-58.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

$38.17 A$54.6

-92.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 ZMW 201

$13.77 A$19.70

-26.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

$4.91 A$7.02

-71.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

$5.02 A$7.19

-58.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

$2.84 A$4.07

-65.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 ZMW 995

$94.3 A$135

-46.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

$3.44 A$4.92

-25.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

$1.59 A$2.28

6.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ZMW 177

$39.37 A$56.3

-77.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

$1.31 A$1.88

11.45%

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

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

$27.7K A$39.7K

-77.56%

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

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

$28.1K A$40.2K

38.05%

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

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

$201 A$288

-55.42%

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

$10.95 ZMW 217

$28.45 A$40.72

-61.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

$57.4 A$82.2

2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ZMW 998

$56.7 A$81.1

-11.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.39 ZMW 325

$19.28 A$27.60

-14.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 ZMW 135

$15.07 A$21.56

-54.88%

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

$142 ZMW 2,821

$2,116 A$3,028

-93.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-8.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.56 ZMW 487

$79.5 A$114

-69.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.64 ZMW 290

$54.9 A$78.5

-73.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

$113 A$161

-47.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

$122 A$175

-37.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ZMW 8,980

$1,582 A$2,264

-71.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ZMW 3,443

$1,225 A$1,753

-85.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

$2,409 A$3,447

-55.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ZMW 14.3K

$1,911 A$2,734

-62.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

$7,995 A$11.4K

-50.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

$5,968 A$8,541

7.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$428 ZMW 8,485

$3,926 A$5,619

-89.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

5.92

343.41%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$240 26.5%

Australia

$370 14.5% 54.4% $130

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$174 19.2%

Australia

$1.2K 48% 606% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.7%

Australia

$287 11.3% 79.9% $127

Eating Out

Zambia

$123 13.7%

Australia

$298 11.7% 142% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$78 8.7%

Australia

$166 6.5% 112% $88

Getting Around

Zambia

$65 7.2%

Australia

$117 4.6% 79.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

Australia

$87 3.4% 35.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $111 in Zambia vs $1,371 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $391 in Lusaka and $1,711 in Canberra.

Average salary: $342 in Zambia vs $3,856 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1135% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 538% more in Australia.

Public transport is 2433% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 1027% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

9 h ahead of Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zambia Australia 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
Australia

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

Zambia vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 180% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,371 versus $111 in Zambia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 180% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Zambia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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