Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $898 in Zambia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
Learn more

Zambia Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zambia and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $898 in Zambia versus $399 in India.

Zambia $898
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Zambia versus $639 in India.

Zambia $1,593
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,287 in Zambia versus $879 in India.

Zambia $2,287
India $879

Zambia ($131–$863) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Zambia is roughly 125% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Zambia 34% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 ZMW 139

$2.14 ₹204

221.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.72 ZMW 599

$10.46 ₹995

184.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ZMW 103

$3.80 ₹361

34.47%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ZMW 60.4

$1.68 ₹160

78.57%

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

$0.73 ZMW 14.68

$0.38 ₹35.99

92.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ZMW 8.88

$0.15 ₹14.60

193.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZMW 24.69

$1.87 ₹178

-34.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ZMW 50.7

$3.18 ₹303

-20.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 35.49

$0.62 ₹59.2

183.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ZMW 23.09

$0.50 ₹47.76

130.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ZMW 48.20

$0.63 ₹60.3

279.37%

Eggs

$1.77 ZMW 35.69

$0.96 ₹91.3

84.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ZMW 206

$4.85 ₹461

110.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 ZMW 131

$2.84 ₹271

128.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 ZMW 121

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ZMW 67.5

$2.00 ₹190

67.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ZMW 44.61

$0.65 ₹61.4

240.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 ZMW 71.9

$0.97 ₹92.3

268.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.10

$0.47 ₹44.30

227.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 ZMW 55.7

$0.34 ₹31.87

711.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 37.15

$0.42 ₹39.73

338.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ZMW 23.48

$0.47 ₹44.39

148.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ZMW 14.03

$0.31 ₹29.67

125.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ZMW 56.4

$5.08 ₹483

-44.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 ZMW 195

$7.31 ₹695

32.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZMW 27.71

$1.63 ₹155

-15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ZMW 41.66

$2.76 ₹262

-25.00%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZMW 20.26

$0.26 ₹24.86

288.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.68 ZMW 1,001

$8.58 ₹816

479.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

$1.00 ₹94.7

151.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ZMW 32.85

$0.27 ₹25.74

503.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.63 ZMW 174

$1.54 ₹146

460.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ZMW 29.18

$1.07 ₹102

35.51%

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

$6,253 ZMW 126.0K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

-44.24%

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

$39.2K ZMW 789.4K

$20.1K ₹1.9M

95.39%

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

$91.1 ZMW 1,836

$37.08 ₹3,527

145.79%

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

$10.68 ZMW 215

$3.58 ₹340

198.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ZMW 1,181

$7.15 ₹680

719.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.0 ZMW 1,008

$15.00 ₹1,427

233.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.42 ZMW 331

$7.17 ₹682

129.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 ZMW 138

$3.20 ₹304

113.75%

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

$140 ZMW 2,831

$58.8 ₹5,592

138.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 330.0K

$1,667 ₹158.5K

882.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 ZMW 478

$23.03 ₹2,191

3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.37 ZMW 290

$24.17 ₹2,299

-40.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ZMW 1,179

$41.20 ₹3,918

42.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ZMW 1,519

$29.62 ₹2,817

154.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ZMW 9,017

$146 ₹13.9K

205.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,549

$96.4 ₹9,165

82.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

$343 ₹32.6K

207.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 ZMW 14.8K

$234 ₹22.2K

213.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 ZMW 77.1K

$1,177 ₹111.9K

225.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,287 ZMW 126.7K

$633 ₹60.2K

892.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 ZMW 8,507

$409 ₹38.9K

3.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

8.93

193.95%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$234 26.1%

India

$102 25.6% 56.4% $132

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$176 19.6%

India

$96 24.1% 45.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.9%

India

$48 12% 70.2% $113

Eating Out

Zambia

$122 13.6%

India

$67 16.7% 45.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$77 8.6%

India

$53 13.3% 31.4% $24

Getting Around

Zambia

$64 7.2%

India

$12 3% 81.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

India

$21 5.4% 66.4% $42

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $591 in Zambia, $120 in India. Capital cities: $380 in Lusaka vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $340 in Zambia, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 393% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 164% more in Zambia.

Public transport is 525% more expensive in Zambia.

Salaries are 21% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

10:37 10:37 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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 = 22.46 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zambia India 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $898 in Zambia, there’s a 125% 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 India: 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 $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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