Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Egypt Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $277 in Zambia versus $455 in Egypt.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $476 in Zambia versus $730 in Egypt.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $674 in Zambia versus $1,004 in Egypt.

Living in Zambia costs about 39% less than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zambia 79% lower, Egypt 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.22 ZMW 131

$3.89 E£197

85.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.17 ZMW 422

$19.99 E£1,010

15.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.75 ZMW 68.3

$4.89 E£247

-23.31%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ZMW 36.54

$1.42 E£71.6

41.55%

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

$0.63 ZMW 11.40

$0.33 E£16.56

90.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ZMW 5.95

$0.14 E£6.86

135.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ZMW 15.73

$1.37 E£69.1

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ZMW 27.50

$2.99 E£151

-49.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ZMW 22.51

$0.85 E£42.93

45.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ZMW 15.43

$0.63 E£31.69

34.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ZMW 32.02

$0.66 E£33.43

166.67%

Eggs

$1.54 ZMW 28.04

$1.45 E£73.4

6.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 ZMW 137

$3.15 E£159

139.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ZMW 73.4

$4.33 E£219

-6.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.82 ZMW 87.7

$8.42 E£425

-42.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ZMW 43.74

$1.45 E£73.2

65.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ZMW 27.33

$0.57 E£28.77

163.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ZMW 45.83

$0.48 E£24.14

425.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ZMW 20.76

$0.41 E£20.52

178.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ZMW 35.51

$0.48 E£24.29

306.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 ZMW 25.99

$0.44 E£22.46

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ZMW 16.13

$0.24 E£12.12

270.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ZMW 9.57

$0.19 E£9.65

178.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 ZMW 40.28

$1.99 E£100

11.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 ZMW 189

$6.79 E£343

53.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ZMW 16.75

$1.30 E£65.7

-29.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ZMW 23.21

$1.87 E£94.3

-31.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ZMW 17.19

$0.29 E£14.83

224.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.06 ZMW 729

$6.17 E£311

549.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ZMW 45.46

$0.39 E£19.52

541.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ZMW 19.38

$0.31 E£15.74

241.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.37 ZMW 170

$1.25 E£63.2

649.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ZMW 22.54

$0.31 E£15.57

300.00%

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

$8,143 ZMW 148.2K

$34.3K E£1.7M

-76.28%

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

$28.4K ZMW 517.3K

$30.9K E£1.6M

-8.01%

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

$87.1 ZMW 1,585

$21.05 E£1,063

313.63%

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

$51.7 ZMW 941

$7.02 E£354

636.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$127 ZMW 2,305

$11.61 E£586

991.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 ZMW 763

$14.78 E£746

183.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 ZMW 253

$6.97 E£352

99.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 ZMW 76.6

$2.89 E£146

45.67%

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

$174 ZMW 3,172

$86.0 E£4,344

102.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,683 ZMW 176.2K

$1,931 E£97.5K

401.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.05 ZMW 365

$26.03 E£1,315

-22.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.84 ZMW 325

$43.67 E£2,205

-59.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ZMW 1,434

$107 E£5,417

-26.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 ZMW 1,304

$51.4 E£2,594

39.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ZMW 3,792

$163 E£8,208

28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ZMW 2,308

$102 E£5,138

24.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 ZMW 15.7K

$319 E£16.1K

169.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 ZMW 13.0K

$189 E£9,533

278.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,948 ZMW 90.0K

$773 E£39.0K

540.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,502 ZMW 172.9K

$449 E£22.7K

2015.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$323 ZMW 5,884

$155 E£7,813

108.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.38

52.63%

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

Last update for Zambia: July 12, 2026

Last update for Egypt: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $22.00 in Zambia, $183 in Egypt. Capital cities: $228 in Lusaka vs $207 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $338 in Zambia, $142 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 732% higher in Egypt.

Dining out costs 45% more in Egypt.

Public transport is 150% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are 138% higher in Zambia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Zambia.

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 $511 per month in Egypt and $428 in Zambia, there's a 20% 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 simply cheaper in Zambia: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Egypt is consistently higher than in Zambia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Zambia, $800 covers most cities easily; in Egypt it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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