Cost of living comparison
compared to
India vs. Zambia Cost of Living Summary
India is 35.1% cheaper than Zambia overall.
India vs. Zambia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in India instead of Zambia, you would:
pay 31.3% less for restaurants
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $7.35 ZMW132.56 | $2.31 ₹217.78 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $3.72 ZMW67.02 | $3.75 ₹354.32 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.49 ZMW8.84 | $0.39 ₹37.14 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.26 ZMW4.68 | $0.16 ₹15.16 | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of restaurants
pay 47.2% less for groceries
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $0.77 ZMW13.84 | $0.46 ₹43.29 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.76 ZMW67.83 | $2.49 ₹235.02 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.89 ZMW88.18 | $2.50 ₹235.94 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.53 ZMW27.64 | $0.92 ₹86.91 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.78 ZMW32.16 | $1.32 ₹124.13 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.90 ZMW16.16 | $0.88 ₹82.70 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.73 ZMW13.13 | $0.32 ₹29.81 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.22 ZMW22.05 | $0.46 ₹42.94 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.50 ZMW9.01 | $0.22 ₹20.81 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.89 ZMW15.97 | $0.17 ₹15.75 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.67 ZMW12.07 | $0.19 ₹18.37 | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of groceries
pay 21.9% less for transportation
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.58 ZMW82.51 | $4.38 ₹413.32 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $38.52 ZMW694.47 | $9.48 ₹894.68 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $8,004.53 ZMW144K | $13,332.05 ₹1M | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $11.53 ZMW207.94 | $2.95 ₹278.76 | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of transportation
pay 48.4% less for housing
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $118.37 ZMW2,134.17 | $7.18 ₹677.54 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $176.52 ZMW3,182.64 | $129.45 ₹12,215.01 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $115.74 ZMW2,086.68 | $85.74 ₹8,090.41 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $52.70 ZMW950.24 | $27.98 ₹2,640.47 | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of housing
pay 77.8% less for childcare
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $176.79 ZMW3,187.47 | $54.51 ₹5,143.46 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $11,677.88 ZMW211K | $1,593.07 ₹150K | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of childcare
pay 6.7% less for entertainment and sports
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $0.98 ZMW17.61 | $1.84 ₹173.23 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.05 ZMW36.91 | $1.58 ₹148.93 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.67 ZMW66.25 | $3.49 ₹329.19 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $50.47 ZMW909.93 | $15.59 ₹1,470.72 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $4.18 ZMW75.45 | $3.17 ₹299.05 | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.4% less for clothing
Zambia | India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $18.93 ZMW341.25 | $22.98 ₹2,168.31 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $16.99 ZMW306.33 | $23.83 ₹2,248.97 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $84.33 ZMW1,520.43 | $40.59 ₹3,830.45 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $73.12 ZMW1,318.40 | $29.72 ₹2,804.06 | |
Zambia vs. India - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
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