Cost of living comparison

 Lusaka, Zambia
compared to
 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Kuala Lumpur is 50.1% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants
pay 15.3% more in Kuala Lumpur
Groceries
pay 15.3% more in Kuala Lumpur
Transportation
pay 55.1% more in Kuala Lumpur
Housing
pay 63.4% more in Kuala Lumpur
Childcare
pay 38.8% more in Kuala Lumpur
Entertainment and Sports
pay 94.6% more in Kuala Lumpur
Clothing
pay 68.3% more in Kuala Lumpur

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

Kuala Lumpur vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

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

pay 15.3% more for restaurants

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.21
ZMW191.88
$4.54
MYR19.34
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.82
ZMW101.68
$4.54
MYR19.34
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.71
ZMW18.99
$0.84
MYR3.59

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pay 15.3% more for groceries

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Bread
1 loaf
$0.74
ZMW19.68
$0.95
MYR4.03
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.64
ZMW96.74
$7.58
MYR32.25
Milk (1 gallon) $4.85
ZMW129.11
$7.22
MYR30.72

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pay 55.1% more for transportation

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.77
ZMW126.80
$1.77
MYR7.55
Monthly public transit pass $37.04
ZMW985.50
$11.36
MYR48.34
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $8,004.53
ZMW212,997.41
$37,478.71
MYR159,528.11

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pay 63.4% more for housing

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$125.92
ZMW3,350.66
$25.27
MYR107.54
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $214.42
ZMW5,705.70
$536.30
MYR2,282.74
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $114.96
ZMW3,059.01
$371.69
MYR1,582.10

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pay 38.8% more for childcare

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $176.79
ZMW4,704.30
$250.80
MYR1,067.55
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,570.42
ZMW174,836.45
$8,920.55
MYR37,970.33

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pay 94.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.97
ZMW25.73
$4.09
MYR17.40
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.07
ZMW55.17
$2.92
MYR12.42
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.49
ZMW66.23
$4.09
MYR17.40

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pay 68.3% more for clothing

 
Lusaka
Kuala Lumpur
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$18.43
ZMW490.55
$57.74
MYR245.76
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$18.78
ZMW499.83
$35.00
MYR148.98
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.18
ZMW2,399.56
$76.75
MYR326.70

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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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