Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 5.5% more expensive than Bamako.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.7% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 21.0% less in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 17.2% more in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 51.1% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.0% more in Lilongwe
The cost of housing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Bamako. Expenses including restaurants and groceries are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Bamako, you would:
pay 23.7% less for restaurants
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.70
F CFA3,860
|
$3.46
MWK5,998.85
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.42
F CFA3,698
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.77
F CFA445
|
$0.91
MWK1,586.53
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.58
F CFA334
|
$0.34
MWK589.44
|
|
pay 21.0% less for groceries
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.10
F CFA635
|
$1.41
MWK2,450.41
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$7.88
MWK13,662.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$9.46
F CFA5,448
|
$5.24
MWK9,077.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.13
F CFA1,800
|
$3.06
MWK5,297.32
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
F CFA3,454
|
$1.30
MWK2,245.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) | ?? |
$1.07
MWK1,846.90
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.50
F CFA288
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.23
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.00
F CFA576
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.00
F CFA576
|
$0.56
MWK977.52
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.84
MWK1,450.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.75
F CFA432
|
$0.56
MWK977.39
|
|
pay 17.2% more for transportation
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.48
F CFA3,157
|
$6.43
MWK11,144.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$4.32
MWK7,493.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? | ?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? | ?? | |
pay 51.1% more for housing
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.27
F CFA23,759
|
$62.37
MWK108,141.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? | ?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | ?? |
$67.61
MWK117,233.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
?? |
$53.53
MWK92,816.54
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$350.00
MWK606,877.41
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,857.15
|
pay 4.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.39
F CFA1,374
|
$1.08
MWK1,872.97
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.89
F CFA1,088
|
$3.21
MWK5,564.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$0.93
F CFA537
|
$1.59
MWK2,750.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$67.41
F CFA38,812
|
$44.05
MWK76,384.82
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.67
F CFA3,266
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.01
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Bamako
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? | ?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? | ?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? | ?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? | ?? |
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