Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 2.4 times more expensive than Colombo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.2% more in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 15.7% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 1.8% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 80.0% more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 8.1 times more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.5% more in Lilongwe
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Colombo. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Colombo, you would:
pay 4.2% more for restaurants
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.40
LKR1,017.60
|
$3.46
MWK6,001.10
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.48
LKR2,238.72
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
LKR221.33
|
$0.91
MWK1,587.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
LKR117.02
|
$0.34
MWK589.66
|
|
pay 15.7% more for groceries
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.57
LKR170.58
|
$1.41
MWK2,451.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.94
LKR2,077.06
|
$7.88
MWK13,667.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.54
LKR1,958.37
|
$5.24
MWK9,081.37
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.22
LKR664.05
|
$3.06
MWK5,299.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.38
LKR712.98
|
$1.30
MWK2,246.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.28
LKR981.16
|
$1.07
MWK1,847.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR152.80
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
LKR792.20
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
LKR158.58
|
$0.56
MWK977.88
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR152.25
|
$0.84
MWK1,451.08
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
LKR163.41
|
$0.56
MWK977.75
|
|
pay 1.8% less for transportation
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
LKR1,448.11
|
$6.43
MWK11,148.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.80
LKR2,035.20
|
$4.32
MWK7,496.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,303.89
LKR10,572,858.00
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.13
LKR936.19
|
?? | |
pay 80.0% more for housing
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$16.40
LKR4,911.13
|
$62.37
MWK108,181.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$297.60
LKR89,124.75
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$180.09
LKR53,932.67
|
$67.61
MWK117,277.79
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.85
LKR13,131.20
|
$53.53
MWK92,851.26
|
|
pay 8.1 times more for childcare
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$28.60
LKR8,564.80
|
$350.00
MWK607,104.39
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$586.98
LKR175,790.30
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,075,380.83
|
|
pay 25.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.04
LKR610.56
|
$1.08
MWK1,873.67
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
LKR775.83
|
$3.21
MWK5,566.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.34
LKR2,798.40
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$13.89
LKR4,158.46
|
$44.05
MWK76,413.39
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.40
LKR1,017.60
|
$3.95
MWK6,852.58
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Colombo
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$29.69
LKR8,891.78
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.31
LKR6,682.24
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$68.77
LKR20,595.33
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$37.51
LKR11,232.73
|
?? |
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