Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Zambia is 41.4% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 68.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zambia is 43.6% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 59.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 ZMW 136

$13.04 AED 47.89

-47.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 ZMW 597

$81.4 AED 299

-62.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ZMW 103

$9.32 AED 34.25

-44.21%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

$5.97 AED 21.93

-49.25%

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

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

$1.63 AED 5.98

-52.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

$0.81 AED 2.99

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

$13.65 AED 50.1

-90.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

$13.38 AED 49.15

-81.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

$1.81 AED 6.64

3.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

$1.57 AED 5.78

-21.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

$2.49 AED 9.16

-2.01%

Eggs

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

$3.28 AED 12.04

-43.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ZMW 207

$12.67 AED 46.53

-17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ZMW 130

$9.75 AED 35.80

-32.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.13 ZMW 122

$13.18 AED 48.40

-53.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

$2.61 AED 9.57

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

$1.93 AED 7.09

10.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

$1.92 AED 7.05

82.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

$1.36 AED 5.00

15.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

$1.17 AED 4.29

140.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

$1.01 AED 3.71

88.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

$1.51 AED 5.56

-23.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

$0.62 AED 2.29

14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

$5.85 AED 21.50

-51.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 ZMW 201

$16.14 AED 59.3

-37.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

$2.65 AED 9.74

-46.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

$2.95 AED 10.82

-28.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

$1.64 AED 6.03

-40.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 ZMW 995

$73.6 AED 270

-31.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

$3.17 AED 11.66

-18.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

$0.71 AED 2.63

138.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ZMW 177

$7.96 AED 29.23

12.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

$0.99 AED 3.64

47.47%

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

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-77.26%

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

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

71.94%

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

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

$250 AED 920

-64.19%

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

$10.95 ZMW 217

$54.2 AED 199

-79.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

$91.8 AED 337

-35.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ZMW 998

$98.6 AED 362

-48.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.39 ZMW 325

$42.61 AED 156

-61.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 ZMW 135

$16.03 AED 58.9

-57.58%

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

$142 ZMW 2,821

$843 AED 3,098

-83.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-8.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.56 ZMW 487

$68.0 AED 250

-63.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.64 ZMW 290

$57.9 AED 213

-74.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

$101 AED 370

-41.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

$101 AED 371

-24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ZMW 8,980

$2,380 AED 8,741

-80.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ZMW 3,443

$1,506 AED 5,531

-88.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ZMW 14.3K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-76.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-44.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

55.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$428 ZMW 8,485

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-87.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

4.54

478.19%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$240 26.5%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 22.2% $53

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$174 19.2%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 767% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.7%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 149% $237

Eating Out

Zambia

$123 13.7%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 150% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$78 8.7%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 87.9% $69

Getting Around

Zambia

$65 7.2%

Dubai

$87 3% 33.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 105% $67

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

2 h ahead of Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zambia Dubai 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
Dubai

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Dubai

AED, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Zambia

Dubai

Zambia

Dubai

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