Cost of living comparison
Lusaka is 2.5 times more expensive than Thimphu.
If you lived in Lusaka instead of Thimphu, you would:
pay 70.1% more for restaurants
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.95
BTN248.32
|
$7.21
ZMW198.58
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$2.95
BTN248.32
|
$3.82
ZMW105.23
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.55
BTN46.68
|
$0.71
ZMW19.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.19
BTN15.73
|
$0.33
ZMW9.11
|
|
pay 66.2% more for groceries
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.94
BTN79.46
|
$0.74
ZMW20.37
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$1.68
BTN141.54
|
$3.64
ZMW100.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.17
BTN266.95
|
$4.85
ZMW133.62
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.20
BTN185.74
|
$1.92
ZMW52.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.74
BTN146.42
|
$1.80
ZMW49.47
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
BTN90.11
|
$1.20
ZMW33.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
BTN55.19
|
$0.60
ZMW16.62
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.82
BTN69.38
|
$1.27
ZMW34.84
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
BTN31.09
|
$0.56
ZMW15.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.23
BTN19.37
|
$0.96
ZMW26.32
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.26
BTN21.63
|
$0.67
ZMW18.55
|
|
pay 2.9 times more for transportation
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.93
BTN330.84
|
$4.77
ZMW131.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$3.97
BTN334.26
|
$37.04
ZMW1,019.88
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,215.98
BTN1,787,878.38
|
$8,004.53
ZMW220,427.21
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.09
BTN1,271.38
|
$12.13
ZMW334.03
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for housing
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.25
BTN2,633.07
|
$125.92
ZMW3,467.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$124.45
BTN10,487.55
|
$214.42
ZMW5,904.73
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$79.38
BTN6,689.57
|
$114.96
ZMW3,165.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$16.69
BTN1,406.23
|
$83.50
ZMW2,299.46
|
|
pay 5.2 times more for childcare
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$246.05
BTN20,734.42
|
$176.79
ZMW4,868.39
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$677.73
BTN57,112.78
|
$6,570.42
ZMW180,935.12
|
|
pay 20.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.43
BTN541.98
|
$0.97
ZMW26.63
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.53
BTN129.12
|
$2.07
ZMW57.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.83
BTN322.81
|
$2.49
ZMW68.54
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.11
BTN4,138.61
|
$41.21
ZMW1,134.89
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.54
BTN297.98
|
$3.50
ZMW96.37
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for clothing
|
Thimphu
|
Lusaka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$9.43
BTN794.61
|
$18.43
ZMW507.66
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$11.79
BTN993.27
|
$18.78
ZMW517.27
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$32.41
BTN2,731.48
|
$90.18
ZMW2,483.26
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$32.41
BTN2,731.48
|
$82.76
ZMW2,279.06
|
|
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