Cost of living comparison

compared to

Lusaka vs. Suva Cost of Living Summary

Lusaka is 6.9% more expensive than Suva.

Restaurants
pay 26.4% less in Lusaka
Groceries
pay 8.6% less in Lusaka
Transportation
pay 42.4% more in Lusaka
Housing
pay 82.0% more in Lusaka
Childcare
pay 19.2% less in Lusaka
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.9% less in Lusaka
Clothing
pay 5.0% less in Lusaka

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

Lusaka vs. Suva Cost Breakdown

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

pay 26.4% less for restaurants

 
Suva
Lusaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.30
FJD11.98
$7.48
ZMW172.19
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.62
FJD14.97
$3.82
ZMW87.99
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.37
FJD3.11
$0.62
ZMW14.25

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pay 8.6% less for groceries

 
Suva
Lusaka
Bread
1 loaf
$0.51
FJD1.16
$0.77
ZMW17.67
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.08
FJD11.49
$3.76
ZMW86.62
Milk (1 gallon) $4.78
FJD10.80
$4.99
ZMW114.88

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pay 42.4% more for transportation

 
Suva
Lusaka
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.08
FJD11.48
$4.58
ZMW105.38
Monthly public transit pass $22.07
FJD49.90
$38.52
ZMW886.94
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $24,281.49
FJD54,887.09
$8,004.53
ZMW184,318.08

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pay 82.0% more for housing

 
Suva
Lusaka
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$23.84
FJD53.89
$118.37
ZMW2,725.66
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $485.63
FJD1,097.74
$226.58
ZMW5,217.38
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $379.67
FJD858.23
$123.07
ZMW2,833.97

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pay 19.2% less for childcare

 
Suva
Lusaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $224.05
FJD506.46
$176.79
ZMW4,070.88
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,127.41
FJD31,934.31
$11,677.88
ZMW268,903.36

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pay 16.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Suva
Lusaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.09
FJD6.99
$0.98
ZMW22.49
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.98
FJD6.73
$2.05
ZMW47.14
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.71
FJD21.95
$3.67
ZMW84.61

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pay 5.0% less for clothing

 
Suva
Lusaka
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$25.61
FJD57.88
$18.93
ZMW435.83
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.93
FJD60.87
$16.99
ZMW391.23
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$68.78
FJD155.48
$84.33
ZMW1,941.82

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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: December 2025
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