Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $898 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇿🇲 Zambia

$898

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zambia and in South Africa

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

A single person spends $898 per month in Zambia vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Zambia $898
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,593 per month in Zambia vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Zambia $1,593
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,287 per month in Zambia vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Zambia $2,287
South Africa $2,583

Cost ranges are similar: Zambia spans $131–$863, South Africa $618–$1,556. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Zambia is roughly 25% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Zambia and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Zambia 34% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 ZMW 139

$10.67 R 177

-35.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.72 ZMW 599

$41.66 R 693

-28.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ZMW 103

$5.80 R 96.5

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ZMW 60.4

$2.36 R 39.23

27.12%

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

$0.73 ZMW 14.68

$1.12 R 18.56

-34.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ZMW 8.88

$0.90 R 15.00

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZMW 24.69

$2.42 R 40.20

-49.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ZMW 50.7

$3.06 R 50.9

-17.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ZMW 35.49

$1.18 R 19.58

49.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ZMW 23.09

$1.13 R 18.83

1.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ZMW 48.20

$1.74 R 28.90

37.36%

Eggs

$1.77 ZMW 35.69

$2.57 R 42.80

-31.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ZMW 206

$8.43 R 140

21.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 ZMW 131

$5.12 R 85.1

26.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 ZMW 121

$7.59 R 126

-20.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ZMW 67.5

$1.77 R 29.52

89.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ZMW 44.61

$1.74 R 28.90

27.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 ZMW 71.9

$1.77 R 29.43

101.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.10

$1.76 R 29.26

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 ZMW 55.7

$1.49 R 24.81

85.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 37.15

$1.47 R 24.38

25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ZMW 23.48

$1.23 R 20.52

-4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ZMW 14.03

$1.10 R 18.25

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ZMW 56.4

$3.24 R 54.0

-13.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 ZMW 195

$5.00 R 83.2

93.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZMW 27.71

$1.50 R 24.90

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ZMW 41.66

$1.94 R 32.26

6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZMW 20.26

$1.48 R 24.58

-31.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.68 ZMW 1,001

$59.3 R 986

-16.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ZMW 50.6

$1.09 R 18.21

130.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ZMW 32.85

$0.99 R 16.46

64.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.63 ZMW 174

$7.46 R 124

15.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ZMW 29.18

$1.43 R 23.76

1.40%

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

$6,253 ZMW 126.0K

$35.3K R 587.4K

-82.29%

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

$39.2K ZMW 789.4K

$32.4K R 539.7K

20.78%

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

$91.1 ZMW 1,836

$133 R 2,208

-31.34%

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

$10.68 ZMW 215

$34.83 R 580

-69.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ZMW 1,181

$39.76 R 662

47.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.0 ZMW 1,008

$33.09 R 551

51.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.42 ZMW 331

$11.65 R 194

40.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 ZMW 138

$7.18 R 119

-4.74%

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

$140 ZMW 2,831

$224 R 3,728

-37.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 330.0K

$5,462 R 90.9K

199.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 ZMW 478

$54.2 R 902

-56.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.37 ZMW 290

$34.13 R 568

-57.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ZMW 1,179

$102 R 1,699

-42.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ZMW 1,519

$88.5 R 1,472

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ZMW 9,017

$492 R 8,189

-9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,549

$398 R 6,617

-55.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 ZMW 21.2K

$946 R 15.7K

11.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 ZMW 14.8K

$827 R 13.8K

-11.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 ZMW 77.1K

$1,099 R 18.3K

248.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,287 ZMW 126.7K

$769 R 12.8K

717.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 ZMW 8,507

$1,502 R 25.0K

-71.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

11.23

133.75%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 24, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$234 26.1%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 16.3% $38

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$176 19.6%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 126% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.9%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 29.2% $47

Eating Out

Zambia

$122 13.6%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 28.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$77 8.6%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 62.2% $48

Getting Around

Zambia

$64 7.2%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 10.7% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

South Africa

$47 4% 25.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $591 in Zambia vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $380 in Lusaka and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $340 in Zambia vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 40% higher in Zambia.

Dining out costs 34% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 22% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

Same time as Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.96 USD

100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zambia South Africa 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 25% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Zambia, adding to the overall 34% 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.