Cost of living comparison

compared to

Quito vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Quito is 9.5% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants
pay 39.6% more in Quito
Groceries
pay 32.9% less in Quito
Transportation
pay 12.0% less in Quito
Housing
pay 13.4% more in Quito
Childcare
pay 70.0% more in Quito
Entertainment and Sports
pay 32.7% more in Quito
Clothing
pay 2.5 times more in Quito

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

Quito vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

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

pay 39.6% more for restaurants

 
Lusaka
Quito
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.53
ZMW110.20
$6.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.03
ZMW100.18
$7.67
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.75
ZMW15.03
$1.40
 

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pay 32.9% less for groceries

 
Lusaka
Quito
Bread
1 loaf
$1.20
ZMW23.92
$1.57
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.15
ZMW102.63
$3.21
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.52
ZMW129.88
$4.29
 

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pay 12.0% less for transportation

 
Lusaka
Quito
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.77
ZMW115.01
$3.17
 
Monthly public transit pass $50.15
ZMW999.41
$21.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $7,541.11
ZMW150K
$21,000.00
 

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pay 13.4% more for housing

 
Lusaka
Quito
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$54.99
ZMW1,095.72
$28.45
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $384.95
ZMW7,670.79
$482.78
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $179.40
ZMW3,574.79
$313.44
 

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pay 70.0% more for childcare

 
Lusaka
Quito
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $138.25
ZMW2,754.96
$743.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $16,638.36
ZMW332K
$8,951.43
 

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pay 32.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Lusaka
Quito
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.26
ZMW25.05
$3.50
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.82
ZMW56.21
$3.38
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.02
ZMW60.11
$6.00
 

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pay 2.5 times more for clothing

 
Lusaka
Quito
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$23.28
ZMW463.85
$70.10
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$15.45
ZMW307.88
$49.62
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$45.19
ZMW900.42
$115.66
 

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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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