Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $898 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index

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🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zambia and in Canada

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 Canada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $898 per month in Zambia vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

Zambia $898
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $1,593 per month in Zambia vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

Zambia $1,593
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $2,287 per month in Zambia vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

Zambia $2,287
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Zambia ($131–$863), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Zambia is roughly 61% lower than in Canada on average.

Zambia sits 34% below the global median, while Canada is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 ZMW 139

$18.16 CA$25.52

-62.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.72 ZMW 599

$71.2 CA$100

-58.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ZMW 103

$10.81 CA$15.19

-52.73%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ZMW 60.4

$3.78 CA$5.31

-20.63%

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

$0.73 ZMW 14.68

$2.11 CA$2.97

-65.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ZMW 8.88

$1.66 CA$2.33

-73.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZMW 24.69

$5.62 CA$7.89

-78.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ZMW 50.7

$5.72 CA$8.04

-55.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 35.49

$2.17 CA$3.06

-18.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ZMW 23.09

$2.60 CA$3.66

-55.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ZMW 48.20

$3.65 CA$5.13

-34.52%

Eggs

$1.77 ZMW 35.69

$3.63 CA$5.10

-51.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ZMW 206

$10.76 CA$15.12

-5.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 ZMW 131

$11.90 CA$16.72

-45.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 ZMW 121

$15.42 CA$21.67

-60.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ZMW 67.5

$4.03 CA$5.66

-16.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ZMW 44.61

$1.38 CA$1.95

60.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 ZMW 71.9

$3.88 CA$5.44

-7.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.10

$4.08 CA$5.74

-62.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 ZMW 55.7

$2.57 CA$3.61

7.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 37.15

$2.48 CA$3.48

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ZMW 23.48

$2.65 CA$3.72

-55.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ZMW 14.03

$1.71 CA$2.41

-59.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ZMW 56.4

$14.32 CA$20.12

-80.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 ZMW 195

$13.49 CA$18.95

-28.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZMW 27.71

$2.84 CA$3.99

-51.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ZMW 41.66

$3.30 CA$4.64

-37.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZMW 20.26

$2.55 CA$3.59

-60.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.68 ZMW 1,001

$71.9 CA$101

-30.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

$3.18 CA$4.47

-21.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ZMW 32.85

$1.54 CA$2.16

5.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.63 ZMW 174

$26.69 CA$37.50

-67.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ZMW 29.18

$1.24 CA$1.75

16.94%

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

$6,253 ZMW 126.0K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

-77.57%

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

$39.2K ZMW 789.4K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

85.97%

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

$91.1 ZMW 1,836

$147 CA$207

-38.16%

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

$10.68 ZMW 215

$41.80 CA$58.7

-74.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ZMW 1,181

$60.2 CA$84.6

-2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.0 ZMW 1,008

$39.01 CA$54.8

28.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.42 ZMW 331

$19.06 CA$26.78

-13.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 ZMW 138

$11.21 CA$15.75

-38.98%

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

$140 ZMW 2,831

$721 CA$1,013

-80.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 330.0K

$14.8K CA$20.9K

10.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 ZMW 478

$55.3 CA$77.7

-57.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.37 ZMW 290

$38.95 CA$54.7

-63.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ZMW 1,179

$87.4 CA$123

-33.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ZMW 1,519

$101 CA$142

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ZMW 9,017

$1,290 CA$1,813

-65.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,549

$1,130 CA$1,588

-84.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

$2,036 CA$2,861

-48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 ZMW 14.8K

$1,731 CA$2,432

-57.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 ZMW 77.1K

$4,769 CA$6,700

-19.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,287 ZMW 126.7K

$3,730 CA$5,240

68.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 ZMW 8,507

$3,070 CA$4,313

-86.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

4.87

439.01%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$234 26.1%

Canada

$371 16.1% 58.4% $137

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$176 19.6%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 542% $954

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.9%

Canada

$249 10.8% 55.4% $89

Eating Out

Zambia

$122 13.6%

Canada

$278 12% 127% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$77 8.6%

Canada

$127 5.5% 64.5% $50

Getting Around

Zambia

$64 7.2%

Canada

$93 4% 44.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

Canada

$61 2.7% 3.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $591 in Zambia vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $380 in Lusaka and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $340 in Zambia vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 112% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 121% more in Canada.

Public transport is 32% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 8.7 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

6 h behind Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zambia Canada 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
Canada

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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 61% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $591 in Zambia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 157% 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.