Cost of living comparison

 Moscow, Russia
compared to
 Lusaka, Zambia
Lusaka vs. Moscow Cost of Living Summary

Lusaka is 56.5% more expensive than Moscow.

Restaurants
pay 27.9% less in Lusaka
Groceries
pay 59.6% more in Lusaka
Transportation
pay 44.8% more in Lusaka
Housing
pay 5.3 times more in Lusaka
Childcare
pay 49.5% less in Lusaka
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.7% less in Lusaka
Clothing
pay 42.2% less in Lusaka

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

Lusaka vs. Moscow Cost Breakdown

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

pay 27.9% less for restaurants

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $9.19
RUB721.42
$7.21
ZMW165.97
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.10
RUB400.79
$3.82
ZMW87.95
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.07
RUB84.19
$0.71
ZMW16.42

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pay 59.6% more for groceries

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Bread
1 loaf
$0.62
RUB48.58
$0.74
ZMW17.02
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.41
RUB345.98
$3.64
ZMW83.68
Milk (1 gallon) $3.57
RUB280.09
$4.85
ZMW111.68

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pay 44.8% more for transportation

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.22
RUB174.19
$4.77
ZMW109.68
Monthly public transit pass $28.58
RUB2,244.43
$37.04
ZMW852.42
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $30,621.85
RUB2,404,747.03
$8,004.53
ZMW184,233.16

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pay 5.3 times more for housing

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$6.38
RUB500.90
$125.92
ZMW2,898.17
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $960.52
RUB75,430.06
$214.42
ZMW4,935.18
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $583.26
RUB45,803.89
$114.96
ZMW2,645.90

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pay 49.5% less for childcare

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $466.53
RUB36,637.03
$176.79
ZMW4,069.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,413.52
RUB817,778.19
$6,570.42
ZMW151,225.65

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pay 17.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.06
RUB240.47
$0.97
ZMW22.25
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.52
RUB198.24
$2.07
ZMW47.72
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.45
RUB192.38
$2.49
ZMW57.29

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pay 42.2% less for clothing

 
Moscow
Lusaka
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$81.16
RUB6,373.17
$18.43
ZMW424.30
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$42.31
RUB3,322.46
$18.78
ZMW432.33
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$108.95
RUB8,556.09
$90.18
ZMW2,075.51

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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: July 2025
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