Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 30.2% more expensive than Zambia.
If you lived in South Africa instead of Zambia, you would:
pay 51.8% more for restaurants
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.21
ZMW198.58
|
$8.97
ZAR163.32
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$3.82
ZMW105.23
|
$4.77
ZAR86.84
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.71
ZMW19.65
|
$0.95
ZAR17.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
ZMW9.11
|
$0.74
ZAR13.49
|
|
pay 6.2% less for groceries
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.74
ZMW20.37
|
$0.99
ZAR18.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.64
ZMW100.12
|
$3.67
ZAR66.90
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.85
ZMW133.62
|
$4.20
ZAR76.42
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.92
ZMW52.99
|
$2.23
ZAR40.54
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.80
ZMW49.47
|
$2.03
ZAR36.92
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.20
ZMW33.07
|
$0.68
ZAR12.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZMW16.62
|
$0.62
ZAR11.24
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.27
ZMW34.84
|
$0.64
ZAR11.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
ZMW15.51
|
$0.70
ZAR12.72
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
ZMW26.32
|
$0.55
ZAR10.08
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.67
ZMW18.55
|
$0.61
ZAR11.08
|
|
pay 43.5% more for transportation
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.77
ZMW131.23
|
$4.99
ZAR90.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.04
ZMW1,019.88
|
$52.31
ZAR952.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$8,004.53
ZMW220,427.21
|
$20,607.77
ZAR375,125.24
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.13
ZMW334.03
|
$8.55
ZAR155.62
|
|
pay 47.9% more for housing
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$125.92
ZMW3,467.54
|
$41.37
ZAR753.05
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$214.42
ZMW5,904.73
|
$382.55
ZAR6,963.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$114.96
ZMW3,165.71
|
$326.35
ZAR5,940.53
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$83.50
ZMW2,299.46
|
$80.40
ZAR1,463.50
|
|
pay 20.1% less for childcare
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$176.79
ZMW4,868.39
|
$174.12
ZAR3,169.46
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,570.42
ZMW180,935.12
|
$4,033.53
ZAR73,422.70
|
|
pay 37.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.97
ZMW26.63
|
$2.11
ZAR38.37
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.07
ZMW57.10
|
$1.88
ZAR34.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.49
ZMW68.54
|
$2.90
ZAR52.87
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.21
ZMW1,134.89
|
$29.50
ZAR537.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.50
ZMW96.37
|
$6.62
ZAR120.52
|
|
pay 57.0% more for clothing
|
Zambia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$18.43
ZMW507.66
|
$47.72
ZAR868.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$18.78
ZMW517.27
|
$32.06
ZAR583.57
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.18
ZMW2,483.26
|
$90.39
ZAR1,645.36
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$82.76
ZMW2,279.06
|
$81.37
ZAR1,481.13
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or Zambia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.