Cost of living comparison

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

compared to

Lusaka, Zambia

Lusaka vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Lusaka is 11.2% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants: pay 2.6% less in Lusaka
Groceries: pay 1.9% less in Lusaka
Transportation: pay 83.8% more in Lusaka
Housing: pay 84.0% more in Lusaka
Childcare: pay 27.9% less in Lusaka
Entertainment and Sports: pay 35.8% less in Lusaka
Clothing: pay 21.0% less in Lusaka

The cost of housing and transportation in Lusaka are more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, clothing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Lusaka. Notably, housing and transportation are significantly more expensive in Lusaka.

Lusaka vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Lusaka instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.6% less for restaurants

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.54 MYR19.29	$7.21 ZMW177.72	+58.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.54 MYR19.29	$3.82 ZMW94.18	-15.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 MYR3.58	$0.71 ZMW17.59	-15.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.53 MYR2.27	$0.33 ZMW8.15	-38.0%
Average			-2.6%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of restaurants

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pay 1.9% less for groceries

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Bread 1 loaf	$0.95 MYR4.02	$0.74 ZMW18.23	-21.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.58 MYR32.17	$3.64 ZMW89.61	-52.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.22 MYR30.65	$4.85 ZMW119.59	-32.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.36 MYR10.01	$1.92 ZMW47.43	-18.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.94 MYR8.22	$1.80 ZMW44.28	-7.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.24 MYR5.26	$1.20 ZMW29.60	-3.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.69 MYR2.93	$0.60 ZMW14.88	-12.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.25 MYR5.31	$1.27 ZMW31.18	+1.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.63 MYR2.66	$0.56 ZMW13.88	-10.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.47 MYR1.98	$0.96 ZMW23.56	+104.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.51 MYR2.18	$0.67 ZMW16.61	+31.5%
Average			-1.9%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of groceries

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pay 83.8% more for transportation

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.77 MYR7.53	$4.77 ZMW117.45	+168.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.36 MYR48.22	$37.04 ZMW912.79	+226.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$37,478.71 MYR159,134.58	$8,004.53 ZMW197,281.92	-78.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$10.22 MYR43.40	$12.13 ZMW298.95	+18.7%
Average			+83.8%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of transportation

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pay 84.0% more for housing

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$25.27 MYR107.28	$125.92 ZMW3,103.44	+398.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$536.30 MYR2,277.11	$214.42 ZMW5,284.72	-60.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$371.69 MYR1,578.19	$114.96 ZMW2,833.31	-69.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$50.02 MYR212.40	$83.50 ZMW2,058.01	+66.9%
Average			+84.0%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of housing

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pay 27.9% less for childcare

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$250.80 MYR1,064.92	$176.79 ZMW4,357.20	-29.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,920.55 MYR37,876.66	$6,570.42 ZMW161,936.58	-26.3%
Average			-27.9%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of childcare

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pay 35.8% less for entertainment and sports

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.09 MYR17.36	$0.97 ZMW23.83	-76.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.92 MYR12.39	$2.07 ZMW51.10	-29.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.09 MYR17.36	$2.49 ZMW61.35	-39.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$44.75 MYR190.00	$41.21 ZMW1,015.73	-7.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.77 MYR20.25	$3.50 ZMW86.25	-26.6%
Average			-35.8%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 21.0% less for clothing

	Kuala Lumpur	Lusaka
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$57.74 MYR245.16	$18.43 ZMW454.35	-68.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$35.00 MYR148.61	$18.78 ZMW462.96	-46.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$76.75 MYR325.89	$90.18 ZMW2,222.51	+17.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$73.25 MYR311.04	$82.76 ZMW2,039.76	+13.0%
Average			-21.0%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025

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