Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $898 in Zambia, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
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Egypt Living Index

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🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zambia and in Egypt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $898 in Zambia versus $449 in Egypt.

Zambia $898
Egypt $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Zambia versus $733 in Egypt.

Zambia $1,593
Egypt $733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,287 in Zambia versus $1,017 in Egypt.

Zambia $2,287
Egypt $1,017

Internal cost variation is higher in Zambia: monthly costs span $131 to $863, compared to $295–$677 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in Zambia.

Living in Zambia is roughly 100% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zambia 34% lower, Egypt 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 ZMW 138

$3.46 E£194

98.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.72 ZMW 598

$17.81 E£998

66.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ZMW 103

$4.51 E£253

13.30%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ZMW 60.3

$1.38 E£77.6

117.39%

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

$0.73 ZMW 14.65

$0.34 E£18.80

114.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ZMW 8.87

$0.14 E£7.68

214.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZMW 24.65

$1.37 E£76.6

-10.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ZMW 50.6

$2.70 E£152

-6.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 35.44

$0.79 E£44.22

122.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ZMW 23.06

$0.68 E£38.15

69.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ZMW 48.13

$0.60 E£33.41

298.33%

Eggs

$1.77 ZMW 35.64

$1.18 E£65.9

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ZMW 205

$3.18 E£179

220.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 ZMW 131

$3.91 E£219

65.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 ZMW 121

$7.74 E£434

-22.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ZMW 67.4

$1.45 E£81.3

131.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ZMW 44.55

$0.67 E£37.30

229.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 ZMW 71.8

$0.49 E£27.31

628.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.05

$0.35 E£19.89

340.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 ZMW 55.6

$0.36 E£20.26

666.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 37.09

$0.35 E£19.78

425.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ZMW 23.45

$0.28 E£15.77

317.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ZMW 14.01

$0.19 E£10.42

268.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ZMW 56.3

$1.83 E£103

53.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 ZMW 194

$6.19 E£347

56.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZMW 27.67

$1.30 E£72.6

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ZMW 41.60

$1.87 E£105

10.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZMW 20.23

$0.28 E£15.72

260.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.68 ZMW 1,000

$7.24 E£406

586.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 50.5

$0.37 E£20.88

578.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ZMW 32.80

$0.26 E£14.55

526.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.63 ZMW 174

$1.82 E£102

374.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ZMW 29.14

$0.40 E£22.33

262.50%

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

$6,253 ZMW 125.8K

$29.9K E£1.7M

-79.07%

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

$39.2K ZMW 788.2K

$24.0K E£1.3M

63.11%

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

$91.1 ZMW 1,834

$20.40 E£1,144

346.76%

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

$10.68 ZMW 215

$6.78 E£380

57.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ZMW 1,180

$12.41 E£696

372.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.0 ZMW 1,007

$17.00 E£953

194.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.42 ZMW 330

$6.36 E£357

158.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 ZMW 138

$2.93 E£165

133.45%

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

$140 ZMW 2,827

$94.2 E£5,281

49.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 329.5K

$2,362 E£132.4K

593.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 ZMW 478

$25.33 E£1,420

-6.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.37 ZMW 289

$41.23 E£2,312

-65.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ZMW 1,178

$105 E£5,886

-44.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ZMW 1,517

$47.95 E£2,689

57.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ZMW 9,003

$140 E£7,840

220.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,544

$88.9 E£4,983

98.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

$282 E£15.8K

273.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 ZMW 14.8K

$179 E£10.0K

309.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 ZMW 77.0K

$683 E£38.3K

460.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,287 ZMW 126.5K

$432 E£24.2K

1356.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 ZMW 8,494

$141 E£7,914

199.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

17.11

53.42%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$234 26.1%

Egypt

$117 26% 50.1% $117

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$176 19.6%

Egypt

$89 19.8% 49.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.9%

Egypt

$40 8.8% 75.3% $121

Eating Out

Zambia

$122 13.6%

Egypt

$72 16% 41.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$77 8.6%

Egypt

$99 22% 27.6% $21

Getting Around

Zambia

$64 7.2%

Egypt

$10 2.2% 84.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

Egypt

$23 5.1% 64.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $591 in Zambia, $136 in Egypt. Capital cities: $380 in Lusaka vs $203 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $340 in Zambia, $129 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 335% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 81% more in Zambia.

Public transport is 614% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Zambia.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇪🇬 Egypt

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

114,535,772

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.97 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 EGP = 1.78 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 20.12 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.97 USD). 1 EUR = 22.39 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zambia Egypt 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
Egypt

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 Egypt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $449 per month in Egypt and $898 in Zambia, there’s a 100% 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 cheaper in Egypt: 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 $591 in Zambia and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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