Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 6.4% more expensive than Addis Ababa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.3% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 13.9% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 12.5% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 68.2% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.9% more in Lilongwe
The cost of childcare, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Addis Ababa. Expenses including housing, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Lilongwe. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Addis Ababa, you would:
pay 19.3% less for restaurants
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.00
ETB764.91
|
$3.46
MWK5,989.22
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.24
ETB794.90
|
?? | |
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.78
ETB100.08
|
$0.91
MWK1,583.98
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
ETB64.02
|
$0.34
MWK588.49
|
|
pay 13.9% more for groceries
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.20
ETB153.18
|
$1.41
MWK2,446.48
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.85
ETB618.74
|
$7.88
MWK13,640.39
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.08
ETB774.93
|
$5.24
MWK9,063.40
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.65
ETB337.73
|
$3.06
MWK5,288.82
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.65
ETB719.80
|
$1.30
MWK2,241.84
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$3.30
ETB420.87
|
$1.07
MWK1,843.93
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
ETB64.55
|
$0.59
MWK1,025.58
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.08
ETB137.46
|
?? | |
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.39
ETB49.28
|
$0.56
MWK975.95
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.31
ETB39.68
|
$0.84
MWK1,448.21
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.79
ETB101.25
|
$0.56
MWK975.82
|
|
pay 12.5% less for transportation
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.88
ETB622.09
|
$6.43
MWK11,126.33
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$10.00
ETB1,274.84
|
$4.32
MWK7,481.94
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,000.00
ETB3,187,108.02
|
?? | |
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.67
ETB467.23
|
?? | |
pay 68.2% less for housing
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$171.17
ETB21,821.07
|
$62.37
MWK107,967.76
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$645.10
ETB82,240.14
|
?? | |
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$422.74
ETB53,893.01
|
$67.61
MWK117,045.64
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$124.84
ETB15,914.92
|
$53.53
MWK92,667.47
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$81.47
ETB10,386.56
|
$350.00
MWK605,902.67
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$43,916.67
ETB5,598,686.43
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,067,313.89
|
|
pay 6.9% more for entertainment and sports
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.00
ETB127.48
|
$1.08
MWK1,869.96
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.15
ETB146.57
|
$3.21
MWK5,555.33
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
ETB509.94
|
$1.59
MWK2,746.53
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$90.59
ETB11,549.44
|
$44.05
MWK76,262.14
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.70
ETB854.14
|
$3.95
MWK6,839.01
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
Addis Ababa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.33
ETB6,161.74
|
?? | |
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$75.17
ETB9,582.57
|
?? | |
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.84
ETB13,875.74
|
?? | |
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.32
ETB15,211.65
|
?? |
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Lilongwe or Addis Ababa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.