Cost of living comparison

Cuba

compared to

Zambia

Lusaka vs. Havana Cost of Living Summary

Lusaka is 5.6% more expensive than Havana.

Restaurants: pay 2.6% more in Lusaka
Groceries: pay 16.0% less in Lusaka
Transportation: pay 23.9% less in Lusaka
Housing: pay 16.2% more in Lusaka
Childcare: pay 71.3% more in Lusaka
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.5 times more in Lusaka
Clothing: pay 31.2% less in Lusaka

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

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Lusaka vs. Havana Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 2.6% more for restaurants

	Havana	Lusaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.71 CUC3.71	$5.53 ZMW110.20	+49.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.00 CUC5.00	$5.03 ZMW100.18	+0.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.70 CUC1.70	$0.75 ZMW15.03	-55.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.00 CUC1.00	$0.47 ZMW9.39	-52.9%
Average			+2.6%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of restaurants

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pay 16.0% less for groceries

	Havana	Lusaka
Bread 1 loaf	$1.49 CUC1.49	$1.20 ZMW23.92	-19.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.22 CUC2.22	$5.15 ZMW102.63	+132.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$14.20 CUC14.20	$6.52 ZMW129.88	-54.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.71 CUC3.71	$1.94 ZMW38.66	-47.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.07 CUC2.07	$2.87 ZMW57.22	+38.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.75 CUC2.75	$1.53 ZMW30.42	-44.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.48 CUC0.48	$1.10 ZMW21.94	+127.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.79 CUC1.79	$1.65 ZMW32.94	-7.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.04 CUC1.04	$0.70 ZMW13.88	-33.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.73 CUC1.73	$1.16 ZMW23.20	-32.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.85 CUC1.85	$0.83 ZMW16.51	-55.2%
Average			-16.0%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of groceries

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pay 23.9% less for transportation

	Havana	Lusaka
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.83 CUC4.83	$5.77 ZMW115.01	+19.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.50 CUC22.50	$50.15 ZMW999.41	+122.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	$7,541.11 ZMW150K	-87.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.20 CUC6.20	$14.58 ZMW290.52	+135.2%
Average			-23.9%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of transportation

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pay 16.2% more for housing

	Havana	Lusaka
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$90.21 CUC90.21	$54.99 ZMW1,095.72	-39.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$254.03 CUC254.03	$384.95 ZMW7,670.79	+51.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$214.40 CUC214.40	$179.40 ZMW3,574.79	-16.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$36.20 CUC36.20	$61.51 ZMW1,225.74	+69.9%
Average			+16.2%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of housing

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pay 71.3% more for childcare

	Havana	Lusaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$112.00 CUC112.00	$138.25 ZMW2,754.96	+23.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,000.00 CUC7,000.00	$16,638.36 ZMW332K	+137.7%
Average			+71.3%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.5 times more for entertainment and sports

	Havana	Lusaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.60 CUC1.60	$1.26 ZMW25.05	-21.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.11 CUC1.11	$2.82 ZMW56.21	+154.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.00 CUC2.00	$3.02 ZMW60.11	+50.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$19.00 CUC19.00	$54.67 ZMW1,089.46	+187.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$0.85 CUC0.85	$6.03 ZMW120.22	+609.8%
Average			+154.3%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 31.2% less for clothing

	Havana	Lusaka
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$37.00 CUC37.00	$23.28 ZMW463.85	-37.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.00 CUC37.00	$15.45 ZMW307.88	-58.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$68.67 CUC68.67	$45.19 ZMW900.42	-34.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$56.00 CUC56.00	$72.53 ZMW1,445.30	+29.5%
Average			-31.2%

Havana vs. Lusaka - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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