Cost of living comparison

 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
compared to
 Lilongwe, Malawi
Lilongwe vs. Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Summary

Lilongwe is 34.8% cheaper than Abu Dhabi.

Restaurants
pay 33.9% less in Lilongwe
Groceries
pay 0.2% more in Lilongwe
Transportation
pay 15.0% more in Lilongwe
Housing
pay 62.6% less in Lilongwe
Childcare
pay 64.7% less in Lilongwe
Entertainment and Sports
pay 62.6% less in Lilongwe

The cost of transportation and groceries in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Abu Dhabi. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Lilongwe.

Lilongwe vs. Abu Dhabi Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:

pay 33.9% less for restaurants

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.89
AED40.00
$3.46
MWK5,997.60
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.53
AED35.00
??
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.08
AED3.95
$0.91
MWK1,586.20

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pay 0.2% more for groceries

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Bread
1 loaf
$1.37
AED5.03
$1.41
MWK2,449.90
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.80
AED17.63
$7.88
MWK13,659.48
Milk (1 gallon) $6.85
AED25.17
$5.24
MWK9,076.08

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pay 15.0% more for transportation

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.03
AED11.11
$6.43
MWK11,141.90
Monthly public transit pass $24.50
AED90.00
$4.32
MWK7,492.41
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $45,026.41
AED165,382.00
??

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pay 62.6% less for housing

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$103.04
AED378.46
$62.37
MWK108,118.89
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,349.31
AED4,956.00
??
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,005.59
AED3,693.55
$67.61
MWK117,209.48

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pay 64.7% less for childcare

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $669.40
AED2,458.70
$350.00
MWK606,750.80
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,841.46
AED47,166.67
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,007.23

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pay 62.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.89
AED40.00
$1.08
MWK1,872.57
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.88
AED21.61
$3.21
MWK5,563.11
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.13
AED22.50
$1.59
MWK2,750.38

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
Abu Dhabi
Lilongwe
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$67.20
AED246.81
??
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$62.59
AED229.90
??
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$103.06
AED378.55
??

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2025
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See the cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. Malawi. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Arab Emirates and Malawi.

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