Ndola at a glance
- Ndola is the cheapest of Zambia's 2 priced cities: $593 a month in essentials, 8% below Lusaka at $643.
- The average net salary of $600 covers that 1.0×.
- 92.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at district level.
- PM2.5 averages 9.6 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $593 |
|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $159 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $185 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $124 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $135 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $143 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $32 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $600 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,500 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $397 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Ndola, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.83 |
|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $31.79 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $5.30 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.94 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.32 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.38 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.53 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.26 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.73 |
|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.22 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.18 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.70 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.82 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.50 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.59 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.54 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.62 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.68 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.16 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.64 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.79 |
|---|---|
| Taxi start | $2.65 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.46 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.44 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $84.78 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $57.96 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $10.91 |
Leisure
| Cinema, one seat | $6.36 |
|---|
Dating-age sex ratio
Ndola has 92.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (district level). That is the 6th-highest of 10 Zambia cities we track. Zambia's national figure is 98.6, so Ndola runs 6 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Ndola ranks against every city we track
Ndola sits ahead of 94% of the 553 cities we track on city-centre rent. On women aged 20–39 it is ahead of 86% of 892. Its weakest measure is local salary, ahead of only 25% of 545.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Ndola sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Chils Kemptonian, CC BY-SA 4.0.
