Travel budget and cost of living in Zambia how much does a trip cost?
Are you planning to go to Zambia and need to budget for your trip? On this page you can see sample prices. This enables you to get to grips with actual prices and the cost of living in Zambia. Then, why not use our free tool to calculate your Zambia travel budget.
Travel budget in Zambia
Zambia: calculate your travel budget
Zambia: sample budgets by traveller type
These example budgets assume a 2-week holiday in Zambia for 2 people.
Low budget
(backpacker)
Daily budget:
- $ 37 for 2 ppl.
- $ 7.2 per person
- $ 7.6 per person
- Free activities
Total budget:
$ 926* (7369516 ZMK)
Average budget
(traveller)
Daily budget:
- $ 94 for 2 ppl.
- $ 14 per person
- $ 14 per person
- $ 3.6 per person
Total budget:
$ 2172* (17288306 ZMK)
High budget
(tourist)
Daily budget:
- $ 206 for 2 ppl.
- $ 23 per person
- $ 26 per person
- $ 7.2 per person
Total budget:
$ 4410* (35109368 ZMK)
* Estimated local budget for 2 people for 2 weeks. This represents an average across the country (budget may vary depending on the city or region visited).
Cost of living in Zambia in 2023
Cost of living: Zambia VS United States
On average, the cost of living in Zambia in 2023 is 46% less than in the United States (USA).
The graphic below shows the percentage of variation between prices United States in in the United States (USA) and United States by types of expenses:
Explore each type of expense in detail:
Cost of living in Zambia by city
See the table below for the variation in the cost of living in different cities in Zambia compared to the national average.
Cities | /Zambia | View Details |
---|---|---|
Lusaka | 2% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Lusaka |
Siavonga | 2% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Siavonga |
Local prices in Zambia by expense type
Zambia: Restaurant budget

($ 1.9 to $ 7.8)
81% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 8.7 to $ 46)
67% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 3.8 to $ 4.7)
64% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 1.6)
82% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 1.7)
63% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.1 to $ 4.5)
57% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.6 to $ 1.2)
63% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.2 to $ 1.1)
75% less than in the United States (USA)

Zambia: Hotel and accommodation budget

($ 35 to $ 40)
69% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 51 to $ 100)
55% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 69 to $ 224)
43% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 164 to $ 483)
9% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 428 to $ 499)
31% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 34 to $ 53)
69% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 93 to $ 220)
38% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 181 to $ 465)
34% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 44 to $ 81)
77% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 173 to $ 581)
52% more than in the United States (USA)

Zambia: Supermarket food budget

($ 0.8 to $ 2)
15% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.7 to $ 3.3)
71% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.1 to $ 3.8)
57% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 2.7)
63% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 2.4 to $ 6.9)
60% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1 to $ 3.5)
53% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.6 to $ 2)
78% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.5 to $ 3.3)
55% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 0.5 to $ 1.4)
63% less than in the United States (USA)

Zambia: Public and private transport budget

($ 1.4 to $ 5.6)
33% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.1 to $ 1.9)
28% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.4 to $ 1.8)
43% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 3.1 to $ 3.5)
14% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 17 to $ 32)
34% less than in the United States (USA)

Zambia: Leisure activity budget

($ 3.5 to $ 5.6)
75% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 5.6 to $ 15)
53% less than in the United States (USA)

Zambia: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes

($ 2 to $ 4.2)
71% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 18 to $ 71)
24% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 15 to $ 71)
34% less than in the United States (USA)

Plane ticket budget

(fair price: $ 797)

(fair price: $ 892)

(fair price: $ 953)

(fair price: $ 974)

(fair price: $ 1241)

(fair price: $ 1480)
About the information on the cost of living in Zambia
The information about the cost of living in Zambia shown on this page comes from multiple sources, including : Numbeo, Easyvoyage and Hotels.com.
Information about cost of living in Zambia updated on 26-09-2023.
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