Cost of living comparison

 Lusaka, Zambia
compared to
 Maseru, Lesotho
Maseru vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Maseru is 14.5% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants
pay 2.0 times more in Maseru
Groceries
pay 8.0% more in Maseru
Transportation
pay 17.2% more in Maseru
Housing
pay 50.5% less in Maseru
Childcare
pay 83.2% less in Maseru
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.2% more in Maseru
Clothing
pay 81.4% more in Maseru

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

Maseru vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.0 times more for restaurants

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.21
ZMW193.75
??
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.82
ZMW102.67
$11.58
LSL209.40
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.71
ZMW19.17
$1.03
LSL18.61

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pay 8.0% more for groceries

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Bread
1 loaf
$0.74
ZMW19.87
$0.82
LSL14.84
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.64
ZMW97.68
$2.67
LSL48.26
Milk (1 gallon) $4.85
ZMW130.37
$3.65
LSL65.97

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pay 17.2% more for transportation

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.77
ZMW128.04
$4.64
LSL83.82
Monthly public transit pass $37.04
ZMW995.07
$28.40
LSL513.47
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $8,004.53
ZMW215,065.29
$19,879.98
LSL359,429.97

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pay 50.5% less for housing

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$125.92
ZMW3,383.19
$22.72
LSL410.78
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $214.42
ZMW5,761.10
$143.89
LSL2,601.59
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $114.96
ZMW3,088.70
$72.89
LSL1,317.91

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pay 83.2% less for childcare

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $176.79
ZMW4,749.97
$29.35
LSL530.59
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,570.42
ZMW176,533.85
$1,117.07
LSL20,196.54

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pay 25.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.97
ZMW25.98
$1.85
LSL33.53
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.07
ZMW55.71
$1.29
LSL23.36
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.49
ZMW66.88
$4.83
LSL87.29

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pay 81.4% more for clothing

 
Lusaka
Maseru
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$18.43
ZMW495.31
$42.60
LSL770.21
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$18.78
ZMW504.69
$39.76
LSL718.86
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.18
ZMW2,422.86
$100.35
LSL1,814.27

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

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