Cost of living comparison
Lusaka is 12.0% more expensive than Freetown.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.7% less in Lusaka
- Groceries
-
pay 20.3% less in Lusaka
- Transportation
-
pay 7.3% less in Lusaka
- Housing
-
pay 42.8% less in Lusaka
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.7% less in Lusaka
- Clothing
-
pay 2.6 times more in Lusaka
Expenses including housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Lusaka. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Lusaka.
If you lived in Lusaka instead of Freetown, you would:
pay 3.7% less for restaurants
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
$7.21
ZMW191.88
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
$3.82
ZMW101.68
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
SLL21,591
|
$0.71
ZMW18.99
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
SLL18,596
|
$0.33
ZMW8.80
|
|
pay 20.3% less for groceries
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.50
SLL10,485
|
$0.74
ZMW19.68
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$3.64
ZMW96.74
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.57
SLL158,756
|
$4.85
ZMW129.11
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.95
SLL40,891
|
$1.92
ZMW51.21
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.40
SLL71,337
|
$1.80
ZMW47.81
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.81
SLL38,046
|
$1.20
ZMW31.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
$0.60
ZMW16.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$1.27
ZMW33.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
SLL47,558
|
$0.56
ZMW14.99
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
$0.96
ZMW25.43
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.74
SLL15,488
|
$0.67
ZMW17.93
|
|
pay 7.3% less for transportation
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
SLL101,357
|
$4.77
ZMW126.80
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$37.04
ZMW985.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$12,000.00
SLL251,634,000
|
$8,004.53
ZMW212,997.41
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.75
SLL225,422
|
$12.13
ZMW322.77
|
|
pay 42.8% less for housing
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.00
SLL2,096,950
|
$125.92
ZMW3,350.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,361.67
SLL28,553,469
|
$214.42
ZMW5,705.70
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$978.33
SLL20,515,161
|
$114.96
ZMW3,059.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.40
SLL2,314,990
|
$83.50
ZMW2,221.95
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$176.79
ZMW4,704.30
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$6,570.42
ZMW174,836.45
|
pay 12.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.50
SLL31,454
|
$0.97
ZMW25.73
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.74
SLL36,435
|
$2.07
ZMW55.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
$2.49
ZMW66.23
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
$41.21
ZMW1,096.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$3.50
ZMW93.12
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for clothing
|
Freetown
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
$18.43
ZMW490.55
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$8.00
SLL167,756
|
$18.78
ZMW499.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$20.00
SLL419,390
|
$90.18
ZMW2,399.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
$82.76
ZMW2,202.25
|
|
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