Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 3.8% cheaper than Castries.
- Restaurants
-
pay 58.5% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 26.2% less in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 12.8% more in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 28.4% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 92.4% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.8% less in Lilongwe
The cost of childcare and transportation in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Castries. Expenses including restaurants, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Lilongwe. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Castries, you would:
pay 58.5% less for restaurants
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.40
EC$19.98
|
$3.46
MWK5,998.85
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.40
EC$19.98
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.94
EC$5.25
|
$0.91
MWK1,586.53
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.11
EC$3.00
|
$0.34
MWK589.44
|
|
pay 26.2% less for groceries
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
EC$4.39
|
$1.41
MWK2,450.41
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.52
EC$9.49
|
$7.88
MWK13,662.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.72
EC$20.83
|
$5.24
MWK9,077.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.79
EC$10.23
|
$3.06
MWK5,297.32
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.41
EC$11.91
|
$1.30
MWK2,245.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.43
EC$9.26
|
$1.07
MWK1,846.90
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
EC$2.03
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.23
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.86
EC$7.71
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$4.17
EC$11.26
|
$0.56
MWK977.52
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.56
EC$4.23
|
$0.84
MWK1,450.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.78
EC$2.12
|
$0.56
MWK977.39
|
|
pay 12.8% more for transportation
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.70
EC$15.39
|
$6.43
MWK11,144.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$4.32
MWK7,493.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,676.62
EC$77,426.90
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? | ?? | |
pay 28.4% less for housing
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$45.02
EC$121.55
|
$62.37
MWK108,141.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$653.95
EC$1,765.67
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$407.02
EC$1,098.96
|
$67.61
MWK117,233.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$89.60
EC$241.93
|
$53.53
MWK92,816.54
|
|
pay 92.4% more for childcare
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$181.93
EC$491.20
|
$350.00
MWK606,877.41
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,857.15
|
|
pay 14.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.04
EC$5.49
|
$1.08
MWK1,872.97
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.70
EC$9.99
|
$3.21
MWK5,564.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$1.59
MWK2,750.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.92
EC$91.58
|
$44.05
MWK76,384.82
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.55
EC$14.99
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.01
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Castries
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$78.94
EC$213.13
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.59
EC$158.18
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$123.34
EC$333.02
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.76
EC$274.74
|
?? |
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