Cost of Living in Ndola, 🇿🇲 Zambia - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $793 $537 $947 $230 $92

Utilities $113 $128 $215 $44 —

Internet & Mobile $92 $72 $113 $31 $6

Groceries $113 $333 $716 $194 $8

Transportation $179 $307 $486 $61 $23

Dining Out $486 $246 $384 $56 $44

Leisure Activities $205 $179 $307 $26 $26

Health Insurance $82 $113 $281 $23 $4

Visa & Legal Fees $64 $179 $358 — $2

Total $2,127 $2,094 $3,807 $665 $205

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $332.64 per month

Coworking Space $143.29 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $946.73 per month

Coliving Space $460.57 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $2.81 per cup

Beer $1.79 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $4.35 per meal

Fast Food Combo $7.16 per meal

Apples $2.30 per kg

Bread $1.13 per loaf

Milk $1.64 per liter

Rice $2.46 per kg

Chicken Fillets $6.91 per kg

Beef $5.89 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $11.26 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $48.62 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.77 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.07 per trip

Taxi per km $1.28 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $61.41 per month

Gasoline $1.77 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $5.63 per trip

Scooter Rental $17.91 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $23.03 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $81.88 per month

Gym Membership $48.62 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $9.21 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $1.28 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $6.14 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $38.38 per pair

Summer Dress $30.70 per dress

Running Shoes $99.79 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $12.79 per visit

Laundry $1.79 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $33.26 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $11.26 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 19.5408 ZMW

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Ndola cost of living