Cost of Living in Lusaka
Where this figure comes from. No cost survey covers Lusaka, so the $900 a month above is our own estimate rather than a measurement. On 330 of our 861 city guides the figure is built from a published Numbeo basket, a one-bedroom rent in the centre plus one person's monthly costs without rent, converted to USD; this city is not one of them. Treat it as a starting point and check current rental listings before you budget against it. How we source everything.
Budget around $900 a month as a solo remote worker in Lusaka, which is moderate for southern Africa. A one-bedroom place runs roughly $300 to $600, with Kabulonga, Rhodes Park and the areas around the embassies at the top of that and the townships far below. Food from the markets is inexpensive and Zambia grows its own maize, vegetables and beef. Imported goods carry a markup and fuel prices have been volatile. The kwacha has weakened substantially over the last decade, which is worth knowing when reading older figures. This is our own estimate rather than measured data.
Where to Work in Lusaka
Lusaka's connectivity is reasonable: fibre reaches the better residential and commercial areas at workable speeds and mobile data from MTN, Airtel and Zamtel is widely used. The serious problem is electricity. Zambia depends on hydropower from Kariba, and the drought of 2024 pushed the country into load shedding measured in many hours a day, which is the single most important practical fact about working here right now. Anything serious runs on solar and batteries. There is a small coworking scene serving local startups. English is the official language and used throughout.
Getting Around Lusaka
Lusaka spreads out along a few main arteries, with Cairo Road as the old commercial spine and the newer malls and offices scattered east and south. It is not a walkable city and the distances are real. Blue minibuses cover the routes cheaply and are how most people move, and ride-hailing works in the central areas. Most expatriates drive, on the left. Kenneth Kaunda airport is half an hour out with connections through Johannesburg, Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Dubai. South Luangwa, which invented the walking safari, is a long drive or a short flight east.
Visas for Lusaka
Zambia removed visa requirements for citizens of a substantial list of countries in 2022, including the United Kingdom, most of the European Union and the United States, so many visitors now enter free for up to ninety days. Everyone else uses the e-visa system or obtains one on arrival. The KAZA UniVisa, covering Zambia and Zimbabwe for thirty days, is the practical option for anyone based around Livingstone. There is no remote work visa. Longer stays require a permit through employment or investment, applied for locally. Confirm the current list, since it has changed.
Best Time to Visit Lusaka
May to August is the cool dry season and the most comfortable, with daytime temperatures in the mid twenties at Lusaka's 1,280 metres and cold nights. September and October are hot and dry, reaching the mid thirties, and are also the best months for wildlife viewing as animals concentrate around the remaining water in South Luangwa. The wet season from November to April brings heavy afternoon storms and turns the country green, and many safari camps close entirely between January and March because the roads become impassable. Anyone planning a safari should note that the walking-safari season in South Luangwa runs roughly June to October and the camps simply close outside it.
Pros and Cons of Lusaka
Lusaka is a functional, safe-enough African capital with English throughout, a mild highland climate, and access to South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi, two of the best and least crowded safari destinations on the continent. Costs are moderate and the country is politically stable by regional standards. Against that, the load shedding driven by the Kariba drought is severe and has been for over a year, the city itself is sprawling and short on character, there is no nomad community, and petty crime requires ordinary urban caution. The city is also the natural hub for the region, with better flight connections than Lilongwe, Harare or Gaborone and a more stable currency than Zimbabwe's.
Who Lusaka Is For
Lusaka suits someone using Zambia as a base for the parks rather than for the capital, who needs English and a stable country, and who will invest in solar and batteries before anything else. Anyone in conservation, mining or development will find real professional depth. It is a poor fit for anyone whose work cannot survive scheduled outages, and for anyone wanting a walkable or characterful city. Treat Livingstone and the falls, six hours south, as the other half of what the country offers. Anyone weighing Lusaka against Livingstone should know that Livingstone is smaller and prettier and Lusaka is where the work and the flights actually are.
Photo: Matthew Grollnek / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
