Cost of living comparison

 Lusaka, Zambia
compared to
 Dakar, Senegal
Dakar vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Dakar is 72.8% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants
pay 88.2% more in Dakar
Groceries
pay 31.7% more in Dakar
Transportation
pay 85.1% more in Dakar
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Dakar
Childcare
pay 22.1% more in Dakar
Entertainment and Sports
pay 81.5% more in Dakar
Clothing
pay 82.2% more in Dakar

The cost of housing, restaurants, transportation, clothing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Dakar are more expensive than in Lusaka. Notably, housing, restaurants, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Dakar.

Dakar vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Dakar instead of Lusaka, you would:

pay 88.2% more for restaurants

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.21
ZMW205.21
$6.54
F CFA3,770
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.82
ZMW108.75
$8.99
F CFA5,183
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.71
ZMW20.31
$0.93
F CFA534

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pay 31.7% more for groceries

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Bread
1 loaf
$0.74
ZMW21.05
$0.55
F CFA318
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.64
ZMW103.46
$6.75
F CFA3,891
Milk (1 gallon) $4.85
ZMW138.08
$10.56
F CFA6,090

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pay 85.1% more for transportation

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.77
ZMW135.61
$6.12
F CFA3,532
Monthly public transit pass $37.04
ZMW1,053.98
$24.51
F CFA14,136
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $8,004.53
ZMW227,796.39
$26,959.22
F CFA15,549,986

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$125.92
ZMW3,583.46
$48.58
F CFA28,021
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $214.42
ZMW6,102.13
$932.62
F CFA537,930
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $114.96
ZMW3,271.55
$326.78
F CFA188,485

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pay 22.1% more for childcare

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $176.79
ZMW5,031.15
$249.17
F CFA143,720
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,570.42
ZMW186,984.03
$6,796.99
F CFA3,920,481

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pay 81.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.97
ZMW27.52
$2.45
F CFA1,414
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.07
ZMW59.01
$4.23
F CFA2,441
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.49
ZMW70.84
$1.47
F CFA848

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pay 82.2% more for clothing

 
Lusaka
Dakar
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$18.43
ZMW524.63
$58.82
F CFA33,927
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$18.78
ZMW534.56
$37.58
F CFA21,676
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.18
ZMW2,566.28
$88.23
F CFA50,891

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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: April 2025
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See the cost of living in Zambia vs. Senegal. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Zambia and Senegal.

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