Livingstone vs Lusaka
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Livingstone edges it, 50 to 47, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Livingstone is stronger on climate; Lusaka on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Zambia's tourist town beside Victoria Falls
Full Livingstone profile →Where to stay in Livingstone →Zambia's fast-growing capital and gateway to the Zambezi
Full Lusaka profile →Where to stay in Lusaka →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 54 | 54 |
| Healthcare | 42 | 42 |
| Internet | 34 | 35 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 | 46 |
| Getting there & around | 28 | 29 ✓ |
| Climate | 100 ✓ | 83 |
| Air quality | 76 ✓ | 68 |
| Quality of life | 22 | 22 |
Cost
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.9 | 5.9 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64.6 | 64.6 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 62 | 62 |
| Life expectancy | 61 yrs | 61 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.8 Mbps | 6.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 1.8 Mbps | 1.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 6 | 19 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Livingstone | Lusaka |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 12 ✓ | 10 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 15.9 µg/m³ ✓ | 19.5 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Livingstone or Lusaka?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Livingstone or Lusaka safer?
- Livingstone scores higher on safety (54 vs 54), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Livingstone or Lusaka?
- Lusaka: a measured median of 6.2 Mbps versus 5.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Livingstone vs Victoria Falls
- Livingstone vs Arusha
- Lusaka vs Arusha
- Lusaka vs Dar es Salaam
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.