South Africa vs Zambia - Cost of Living Comparison

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Livingcost

South Africa Zambia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$815
$935
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1899
$1961
🏠 One person rent
$407
$554
🏘️ Family rent
$697
$828
🍽️ Food expenses
$237
$222
🚐 Transport expenses
$101
$97.2
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1312
$251
💸 GDP per capita
$6766
$1457
😃 Human freedom index
6.92
6.21
❤️ Life expectancy
62.3
61.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
37
🌐 English speaking %
31%
16%
🎓 Higher education
83
49
😀 Quality of life
41
28
🏙️ Population
60.1M
17.1M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($815) is 13% less expensive than in Zambia ($935). South Africa ranked 107th vs 90th for Zambia in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.6 months in South Africa compared to 0.3 months in Zambia. Ranked 121st and 155th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs Zambia infographic

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Prices in South Africa vs Zambia

We calculate prices for South Africa and Zambia as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 10 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

South Africa Zambia
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.88
$3.39
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$31.6
$25.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.04
$3.03
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.92
$1.03
 Cappuccino
$1.71
$2.09
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.9
$0.85
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$394
$358
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$283
$405
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$620
$638
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$543
$637
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$63.4
$61.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$97.9
$93.8
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$38.1
$97
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.09%
21.16%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$790
$1973
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$670
$4797
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.62
$1.24
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$46.2
$42.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.2
$10.1
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.17
$1.32
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.01
$1.17
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.85
$0.89
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$2.39
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.02
$1.92
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.09
$6.89
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.29
$4.25
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.07
$5.53
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$2.04
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.33
$1.32
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$1.97
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$1.14
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.17
$1.78
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$1.59
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.56
$0.44
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.21
$0.94
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.02
$5.86
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.13
$0.86
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.6
$2.18
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.84
$4.93
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.16
$2.91
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.59
$1.43
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.99
$1.31
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$25.9
$29.8
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.61
$3.12
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$25
$19.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.4
$5.59
👖 Brand Jeans
$43
$29.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$78.2
$82.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$188
$111
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$3937
$5878

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs Zambia

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$908
4.43M
Soweto
$875
1.27M
Pretoria
$783
742K
Rustenburg
$845
550K
Cape Town
$881
434K
Randburg
$776
337K
Durban
$780
595K
Centurion
$755
237K
Sandton
$889
222K
Pietermaritzburg
$609
619K
East London
$683
267K
Port Elizabeth
$866
312K
Kimberley
$753
225K
Kroonstad
$701
169K
Benoni
$741
159K
Klerksdorp
$621
187K
Bloemfontein
$601
256K
Springs
$631
122K
Vereeniging
$637
99K
Paarl
$773
112K
Worcester
$632
97.1K
Potchefstroom
$625
149K
Vanderbijlpark
$698
95.8K
Uitenhage
$805
104K
George
$684
157K
Mthatha
$689
96.1K
Upington
$643
121K
Middelburg
$866
87.3K
Bethal
$746
60.8K
Brits
$751
53.5K

In Zambia

City Cost of living Population
Lusaka
$777
2.47M
Ndola
$1210
528K
Kitwe
$1238
504K
Kapiri Mposhi
$968
241K
Livingstone
$734
137K
Choma
$795
122K
Kasama
$1176
168K
Mansa
$1121
129K
Mufulira
$1236
122K
Chingola
$1107
147K