Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 5.7% more expensive than Botswana.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Botswana, you would:
pay 0.5% more for restaurants
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.50
BWP102.78
|
$4.32
MWK7,517.07
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.00
BWP82.22
|
$9.04
MWK15,730.71
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
BWP11.42
|
$0.87
MWK1,516.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.49
BWP6.69
|
$0.43
MWK752.93
|
|
pay 16.9% more for groceries
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.81
BWP11.14
|
$1.36
MWK2,373.87
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.37
BWP46.18
|
$4.82
MWK8,381.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.06
BWP69.39
|
$4.51
MWK7,850.76
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.29
BWP31.41
|
$2.31
MWK4,011.81
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.27
BWP31.17
|
$1.93
MWK3,349.47
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.77
BWP10.61
|
$1.03
MWK1,799.85
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
BWP8.49
|
$0.81
MWK1,408.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.88
BWP12.12
|
$1.12
MWK1,945.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
BWP8.85
|
$0.53
MWK916.86
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
BWP8.19
|
$0.72
MWK1,251.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
BWP7.51
|
$0.59
MWK1,019.77
|
|
pay 5.8% more for transportation
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.27
BWP58.59
|
$6.19
MWK10,763.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$28.18
BWP386.44
|
$4.32
MWK7,516.81
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,486.26
BWP308,331.83
|
$35,669.17
MWK62,036,520.02
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.49
BWP267.22
|
$20.40
MWK35,484.15
|
|
pay 8.6% more for housing
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$90.60
BWP1,242.32
|
$186.12
MWK323,711.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$254.84
BWP3,494.43
|
$202.19
MWK351,645.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$149.91
BWP2,055.55
|
$98.76
MWK171,770.38
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$49.21
BWP674.79
|
$41.29
MWK71,805.30
|
|
pay 18.0% more for childcare
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$180.24
BWP2,471.47
|
$354.75
MWK616,994.98
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,740.68
BWP51,292.29
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,552,844.18
|
|
pay 13.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
BWP30.83
|
$1.12
MWK1,946.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.37
BWP32.49
|
$2.91
MWK5,066.22
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.75
BWP51.39
|
$1.59
MWK2,759.34
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.19
BWP441.37
|
$51.33
MWK89,279.59
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.75
BWP92.50
|
$3.95
MWK6,870.89
|
|
pay 3.4% more for clothing
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.14
BWP605.24
|
$45.22
MWK78,654.49
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.17
BWP303.93
|
$34.94
MWK60,773.55
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.20
BWP1,044.90
|
$59.17
MWK102,912.24
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.16
BWP1,277.37
|
$70.71
MWK122,971.76
|
|
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