Cost of living comparison

compared to

China vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

China is 33.9% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants: pay 17.1% less in China
Groceries: pay 1.6% less in China
Transportation: pay 6.3% more in China
Housing: pay 2.5% less in China
Childcare: pay 2.7 times more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 32.1% more in China
Clothing: pay 50.5% more in China

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

China vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 17.1% less for restaurants

	Lusaka	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.21 ZMW200.62	$2.85 CN¥20.63	-60.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$3.82 ZMW106.31	$5.07 CN¥36.60	+32.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.71 ZMW19.85	$0.49 CN¥3.54	-31.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 ZMW9.20	$0.30 CN¥2.17	-9.2%
Average			-17.1%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 1.6% less for groceries

	Lusaka	China
Bread 1 loaf	$0.74 ZMW20.58	$1.59 CN¥11.50	+115.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.64 ZMW101.15	$5.85 CN¥42.27	+60.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.85 ZMW134.99	$6.86 CN¥49.57	+41.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.92 ZMW53.54	$1.60 CN¥11.53	-17.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.80 ZMW49.98	$1.54 CN¥11.13	-14.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.20 ZMW33.41	$0.76 CN¥5.51	-36.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.60 ZMW16.80	$0.57 CN¥4.14	-5.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.27 ZMW35.20	$0.65 CN¥4.72	-48.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.56 ZMW15.67	$0.52 CN¥3.78	-7.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.96 ZMW26.59	$0.32 CN¥2.32	-66.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.67 ZMW18.74	$0.40 CN¥2.89	-40.6%
Average			-1.6%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 6.3% more for transportation

	Lusaka	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.77 ZMW132.58	$4.44 CN¥32.11	-6.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$37.04 ZMW1,030.36	$22.47 CN¥162.35	-39.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$8,004.53 ZMW222,692.23	$19,071.53 CN¥137,798.50	+138.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$12.13 ZMW337.46	$3.97 CN¥28.72	-67.2%
Average			+6.3%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.5% less for housing

	Lusaka	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$125.92 ZMW3,503.17	$11.70 CN¥84.50	-90.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$214.42 ZMW5,965.41	$328.33 CN¥2,372.30	+53.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$114.96 ZMW3,198.24	$205.78 CN¥1,486.83	+79.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$83.50 ZMW2,323.08	$40.46 CN¥292.33	-51.5%
Average			-2.5%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 2.7 times more for childcare

	Lusaka	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$176.79 ZMW4,918.42	$459.70 CN¥3,321.48	+160.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,570.42 ZMW182,794.34	$18,318.08 CN¥132,354.54	+178.8%
Average			+169.4%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 32.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Lusaka	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$0.97 ZMW26.90	$1.09 CN¥7.88	+12.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.07 ZMW57.69	$3.07 CN¥22.16	+47.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.49 ZMW69.25	$3.23 CN¥23.36	+29.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.21 ZMW1,146.55	$41.41 CN¥299.19	+0.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.50 ZMW97.36	$5.93 CN¥42.81	+69.3%
Average			+32.1%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 50.5% more for clothing

	Lusaka	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$18.43 ZMW512.87	$48.23 CN¥348.44	+161.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$18.78 ZMW522.59	$31.67 CN¥228.84	+68.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.18 ZMW2,508.78	$72.53 CN¥524.03	-19.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$82.76 ZMW2,302.48	$75.53 CN¥545.76	-8.7%
Average			+50.5%

Lusaka vs. China - Cost of clothing

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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: May 2025

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