Cost of living comparison

Lusaka, Zambia

compared to

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 22.9% cheaper than Lusaka.

Restaurants: pay 35.0% less in Islamabad
Groceries: pay 42.4% less in Islamabad
Transportation: pay 0.5% more in Islamabad
Housing: pay 29.1% less in Islamabad
Childcare: pay 59.1% less in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 9.0% more in Islamabad
Clothing: pay 4.5% less in Islamabad

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

Islamabad vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 35.0% less for restaurants

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.21 ZMW201.36	$1.79 PKR502.89	-75.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$3.82 ZMW106.71	$4.30 PKR1,206.93	+12.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.71 ZMW19.93	$0.35 PKR99.43	-50.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 ZMW9.24	$0.24 PKR67.99	-26.9%
Average			-35.0%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 42.4% less for groceries

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Bread 1 loaf	$0.74 ZMW20.65	$0.68 PKR190.51	-8.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.64 ZMW101.52	$2.96 PKR831.63	-18.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.85 ZMW135.49	$3.31 PKR930.99	-31.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.92 ZMW53.74	$1.25 PKR351.22	-35.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.80 ZMW50.17	$1.64 PKR461.06	-8.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.20 ZMW33.53	$0.48 PKR135.50	-59.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 ZMW16.86	$0.38 PKR107.54	-36.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.27 ZMW35.33	$0.37 PKR104.39	-70.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.56 ZMW15.73	$0.26 PKR73.31	-53.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 ZMW26.69	$0.19 PKR52.98	-80.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.67 ZMW18.81	$0.25 PKR70.44	-62.8%
Average			-42.4%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - Cost of groceries

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pay 0.5% more for transportation

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.77 ZMW133.07	$3.81 PKR1,069.46	-20.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$37.04 ZMW1,034.17	$6.80 PKR1,910.97	-81.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$8,004.53 ZMW223,515.14	$21,479.46 PKR6,034,653.13	+168.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$12.13 ZMW338.70	$4.27 PKR1,200.90	-64.8%
Average			+0.5%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - Cost of transportation

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pay 29.1% less for housing

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$125.92 ZMW3,516.12	$18.16 PKR5,100.72	-85.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$214.42 ZMW5,987.45	$174.15 PKR48,928.02	-18.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$114.96 ZMW3,210.06	$99.01 PKR27,815.98	-13.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$83.50 ZMW2,331.67	$84.99 PKR23,876.98	+1.8%
Average			-29.1%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - Cost of housing

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pay 59.1% less for childcare

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$176.79 ZMW4,936.59	$60.17 PKR16,904.77	-66.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,570.42 ZMW183,469.81	$3,142.14 PKR882,783.54	-52.2%
Average			-59.1%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - Cost of childcare

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pay 9.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$0.97 ZMW27.00	$1.79 PKR502.89	+85.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.07 ZMW57.90	$1.97 PKR552.70	-5.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.49 ZMW69.50	$2.15 PKR603.47	-13.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.21 ZMW1,150.79	$23.01 PKR6,465.70	-44.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.50 ZMW97.72	$4.30 PKR1,206.93	+22.8%
Average			+9.0%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 4.5% less for clothing

	Lusaka	Islamabad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$18.43 ZMW514.77	$19.06 PKR5,354.28	+3.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$18.78 ZMW524.52	$26.18 PKR7,354.73	+39.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.18 ZMW2,518.05	$83.29 PKR23,401.04	-7.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$82.76 ZMW2,310.99	$38.79 PKR10,898.83	-53.1%
Average			-4.5%

Lusaka vs. Islamabad - 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: April 2025

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