Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $888 a month against $2,508 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇲 Zambia

$888

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zambia and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $888 in Zambia versus $2,508 in the United Kingdom.

Zambia $888
United Kingdom $2,508

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,577 in Zambia versus $3,619 in the United Kingdom.

Zambia $1,577
United Kingdom $3,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,267 in Zambia versus $4,730 in the United Kingdom.

Zambia $2,267
United Kingdom $4,730

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,139 to $4,519, compared to $129–$860 in Zambia. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Zambia costs about 65% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Zambia (34% below) and the United Kingdom (85% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.63 ZMW 134

$21.67 £16.08

-69.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.20 ZMW 591

$86.1 £63.9

-66.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ZMW 99.6

$10.52 £7.81

-53.23%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ZMW 65.7

$4.89 £3.63

-33.54%

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

$0.77 ZMW 15.55

$2.60 £1.93

-70.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.76

$1.88 £1.40

-74.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 ZMW 25.67

$6.82 £5.06

-81.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ZMW 50.3

$6.55 £4.86

-62.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ZMW 36.36

$1.71 £1.27

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ZMW 24.03

$1.66 £1.23

-28.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 ZMW 47.59

$2.23 £1.66

5.38%

Eggs

$1.78 ZMW 36.09

$4.14 £3.07

-57.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ZMW 203

$9.94 £7.38

1.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.29 ZMW 127

$9.37 £6.95

-32.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.11 ZMW 124

$14.69 £10.90

-58.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

$3.10 £2.30

9.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ZMW 43.31

$1.62 £1.20

32.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 ZMW 67.0

$2.90 £2.15

14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZMW 30.75

$3.39 £2.52

-55.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 ZMW 53.3

$1.77 £1.32

48.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 ZMW 38.93

$1.63 £1.21

17.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ZMW 23.73

$1.19 £0.88

-1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ZMW 15.02

$1.64 £1.21

-54.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.98 ZMW 60.3

$24.10 £17.88

-87.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 ZMW 203

$10.78 £8.00

-6.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ZMW 26.23

$3.11 £2.31

-58.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ZMW 40.84

$3.43 £2.54

-41.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ZMW 19.42

$3.95 £2.93

-75.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 ZMW 1,114

$108 £80.0

-48.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ZMW 50.2

$5.25 £3.90

-52.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ZMW 32.21

$2.15 £1.60

-26.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ZMW 179

$26.45 £19.62

-66.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ZMW 27.36

$2.06 £1.53

-34.47%

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

$6,270 ZMW 127.0K

$39.6K £29.4K

-84.17%

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

$41.6K ZMW 842.1K

$41.3K £30.7K

0.67%

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

$77.5 ZMW 1,570

$324 £240

-76.06%

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

$11.24 ZMW 228

$18.04 £13.39

-37.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 ZMW 1,168

$43.17 £32.03

33.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.69 ZMW 986

$41.63 £30.89

16.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.83 ZMW 321

$18.43 £13.67

-14.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ZMW 134

$14.10 £10.47

-52.98%

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

$147 ZMW 2,968

$1,846 £1,370

-92.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K ZMW 404.1K

$26.8K £19.9K

-25.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.13 ZMW 509

$93.2 £69.2

-73.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.67 ZMW 277

$45.49 £33.75

-69.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 ZMW 1,166

$102 £75.8

-43.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 ZMW 1,570

$100 £74.3

-22.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 ZMW 9,244

$1,376 £1,021

-66.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,560

$1,120 £831

-84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ZMW 21.5K

$2,249 £1,669

-52.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ZMW 14.7K

$1,729 £1,283

-58.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,803 ZMW 77.0K

$5,631 £4,178

-32.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,966 ZMW 80.3K

$4,197 £3,114

-5.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$461 ZMW 9,338

$3,540 £2,626

-86.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

5.32

393.42%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 31, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zambia

$233 26.2%

United Kingdom

$311 12.4% 33.5% $78

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$176 19.8%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 537% $945

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$146 16.5%

United Kingdom

$385 15.4% 163% $239

Eating Out

Zambia

$123 13.9%

United Kingdom

$329 13.1% 167% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$78 8.8%

United Kingdom

$153 6.1% 96.1% $75

Getting Around

Zambia

$69 7.8%

United Kingdom

$140 5.6% 101% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$62 7%

United Kingdom

$70 2.8% 12.8% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $590 in Zambia, $1,311 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $388 in Lusaka vs $2,935 in London.

National salary averages: $358 in Zambia, $3,387 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 122% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 190% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 9.5 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

2 h behind Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 20.25 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.94 USD). 1 EUR = 22.76 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.39 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zambia United Kingdom 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,508 per month in the United Kingdom and $888 in Zambia, Zambia comes out about 65% cheaper. 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 Zambia: 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 $1,311 in the United Kingdom and $590 in Zambia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Zambia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.