Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 5.7% more expensive than Botswana overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.5% more in Malawi
- Groceries
-
pay 16.9% more in Malawi
- Transportation
-
pay 5.8% more in Malawi
- Housing
-
pay 8.6% more in Malawi
- Childcare
-
pay 18.0% more in Malawi
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.4% less in Malawi
- Clothing
-
pay 3.4% more in Malawi
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in Malawi are more expensive than in 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
BWP101.94
|
$4.32
MWK7,476.01
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.00
BWP81.55
|
$9.04
MWK15,644.79
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
BWP11.32
|
$0.87
MWK1,508.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.49
BWP6.64
|
$0.43
MWK748.81
|
|
pay 16.9% more for groceries
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.81
BWP11.05
|
$1.36
MWK2,360.90
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.37
BWP45.81
|
$4.82
MWK8,335.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.06
BWP68.82
|
$4.51
MWK7,807.87
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.29
BWP31.16
|
$2.31
MWK3,989.90
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.27
BWP30.92
|
$1.93
MWK3,331.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.77
BWP10.53
|
$1.03
MWK1,790.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
BWP8.42
|
$0.81
MWK1,400.62
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.88
BWP12.02
|
$1.12
MWK1,935.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
BWP8.78
|
$0.53
MWK911.85
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
BWP8.12
|
$0.72
MWK1,244.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
BWP7.45
|
$0.59
MWK1,014.20
|
|
pay 5.8% more for transportation
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.27
BWP58.12
|
$6.19
MWK10,704.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$28.18
BWP383.30
|
$4.32
MWK7,475.76
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,486.26
BWP305,825.54
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,697,668.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.49
BWP265.05
|
$20.40
MWK35,290.33
|
|
pay 8.6% more for housing
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$90.60
BWP1,232.22
|
$186.12
MWK321,943.81
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$254.84
BWP3,466.02
|
$202.19
MWK349,725.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$149.91
BWP2,038.84
|
$98.76
MWK170,832.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$49.21
BWP669.30
|
$41.29
MWK71,413.09
|
|
pay 18.0% more for childcare
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$180.24
BWP2,451.38
|
$354.75
MWK613,624.87
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,740.68
BWP50,875.35
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,538,900.22
|
|
pay 13.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
BWP30.58
|
$1.12
MWK1,936.30
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.37
BWP32.22
|
$2.91
MWK5,038.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.75
BWP50.97
|
$1.59
MWK2,744.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.19
BWP437.78
|
$51.33
MWK88,791.94
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.75
BWP91.75
|
$3.95
MWK6,833.36
|
|
pay 3.4% more for clothing
|
Botswana
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.14
BWP600.32
|
$45.22
MWK78,224.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.17
BWP301.46
|
$34.94
MWK60,441.60
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.20
BWP1,036.41
|
$59.17
MWK102,350.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.16
BWP1,266.99
|
$70.71
MWK122,300.07
|
|
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