Everyday Grocery Prices in Zambia versus the USA
When we talk to people in the United States about the cost of living here, prices, exchange rates, and currency conversions, there’s a general assumption that living in a developing nation must be much cheaper than living in a developed nation. This is often simply not the case.
Zambia is a landlocked country. Much of what we consume here is imported, and imported goods are, of necessity, more expensive than the same goods in the United States. We also lack the market size of the United States. When you have over 350 million affluent people in the U.S., there’s a massive market for things like cheese, dairy, and consumer goods, which drives prices down. A developing country simply doesn’t have that same market.
We live in a city of about four million people, but only a fraction of those four million ever shop at a Western-style grocery store, and only a fraction of that fraction can regularly afford items like ground beef, chicken breast, canned peaches, cheese, or dairy. Because that real market is so small, there’s never the economy of scale in a developing nation that would let stores deliver these kinds of goods cheaply. The average Zambian in a basic, entry-level job is making somewhere between fifty and a hundred dollars a month. The items at this shop simply aren’t within reach for most people here. It’s a whole different standard of living.
Last updated: July 2026. Prices gathered from Zambian grocery stores and U.S. grocery stores. Currency converted at approximately 1 ZMW = $0.0544 USD.
Important note: Some Zambian prices below come from promotional sale/discount flyers, which run lower than regular shelf prices. Where we have an actual store receipt showing a regular (non-promotional) price, we’ve noted it and used that instead, since it’s the more accurate figure.
| Item | Zambia (grocery store) | USA (grocery store) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice (regular price, from receipt) | $1.09/lb | $0.67/lb | Zambia ~62% higher |
| Eggs (dozen) | $2.13/dozen | $1.67/dozen | Zambia ~28% higher |
| Milk (per liter) | $1.80/liter | $0.75/liter | Zambia ~139% higher |
| Cooking Oil (per liter) | $4.90/liter | $2.51/liter | Zambia ~95% higher |
| Chicken Breast | $3.08/lb | $4.18/lb | Zambia ~26% lower |
| Pasta | $1.28/lb | $0.97/lb | Zambia ~32% higher |
| Sugar | $0.70/lb | $0.74/lb | Zambia ~5% lower |
| Ground Beef | $3.08/lb | $5.94/lb | Zambia ~48% lower |
| Peanut Butter (regular price, from receipt) | $1.60/lb | $1.50/lb | Zambia ~7% higher |
| Potatoes (regular price, from receipt) | $0.49/lb | $0.49/lb | Nearly identical |
| Toilet Paper (18 rolls) (regular price, from receipt) | $11.70/pack | $14.62/pack | Zambia ~20% lower |
| Apples (Red) (regular price, from receipt) | $0.99/lb | $1.16/lb | Zambia ~15% lower |
| Green Beans (regular price, from receipt) | $0.27/100g | $0.18/100g | Zambia ~47% higher |
| Ketchup (regular price, from receipt) | $0.69/100g | $0.16/100g | Zambia ~319% higher |
| Cheddar Cheese (regular price, from receipt) | $2.02/100g | $0.79/100g | Zambia ~155% higher |
| Salted Butter (regular price, from receipt) | $2.18/100g | $0.76/100g | Zambia ~187% higher |
| Canned Peaches (regular price, from receipt) | $2.18/standard tin | $1.72/can | Zambia ~26% higher |
| Liquid Hand Wash (regular price, from receipt) | $3.63/liter | $4.04/liter | Zambia ~10% lower |
| Multi-Surface Disinfectant (regular price, from receipt; bottle size approximate) | $3.81/bottle | $4.17/bottle | Zambia ~9% lower |
| Laundry Detergent (powder) (regular price, from receipt) | $3.26/kg | $3.48/kg | Zambia ~6% lower |
| Bell Peppers (trio pack) (regular price, from receipt) | $0.91/pepper | $1.27/pepper | Zambia ~28% lower |
This pattern lines up closely with what’s manufactured locally versus imported. Locally produced goods — ground beef, chicken, sugar, and household items like toilet paper, hand soap, and laundry detergent — run cheaper here. Imported goods — cheese, butter, pasta, and (partly) milk and cooking oil — run higher. The clearest exceptions are eggs and rice, both locally produced yet still pricier than in the U.S.; and apples, imported from nearby South Africa, which stay cheaper despite being imported.
We’re building this comparison out with more everyday items over time — check back as we add more.
Note: prices and exchange rates change regularly. This table is updated by hand whenever we have fresh data, rather than an automatic live feed, so please treat these as a snapshot rather than today’s exact price. Where noted, Zambian prices come from an actual store receipt (regular price); otherwise, they’re from promotional flyers advertising discounted/sale prices. U.S. prices are regular, everyday grocery store prices. A few entries use standard-size approximations where an exact package size wasn’t available — these are noted individually.