Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 24.5% cheaper than Dakar.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.9% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 5.5% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 38.7% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 32.0% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 12.5% less in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 31.2% less in Lilongwe
Expenses including transportation, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and childcare are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Dakar, you would:
pay 37.9% less for restaurants
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.54
F CFA3,770
|
$3.46
MWK5,995.73
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.99
F CFA5,183
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.93
F CFA534
|
$0.91
MWK1,585.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.98
F CFA567
|
$0.34
MWK589.13
|
|
pay 5.5% more for groceries
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.55
F CFA318
|
$1.41
MWK2,449.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.75
F CFA3,891
|
$7.88
MWK13,655.23
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$10.56
F CFA6,090
|
$5.24
MWK9,073.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.41
F CFA1,392
|
$3.06
MWK5,294.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.39
F CFA2,530
|
$1.30
MWK2,244.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.02
F CFA587
|
$1.07
MWK1,845.94
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
F CFA470
|
$0.59
MWK1,026.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.99
F CFA570
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.88
F CFA508
|
$0.56
MWK977.01
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
F CFA370
|
$0.84
MWK1,449.78
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.54
F CFA312
|
$0.56
MWK976.88
|
|
pay 38.7% less for transportation
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.12
F CFA3,532
|
$6.43
MWK11,138.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$24.51
F CFA14,136
|
$4.32
MWK7,490.08
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,959.22
F CFA15,549,986
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.33
F CFA14,608
|
?? | |
pay 32.0% less for housing
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.58
F CFA28,021
|
$62.37
MWK108,085.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$932.62
F CFA537,930
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$326.78
F CFA188,485
|
$67.61
MWK117,172.97
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$97.46
F CFA56,213
|
$53.53
MWK92,768.27
|
|
pay 12.5% less for childcare
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$249.17
F CFA143,720
|
$350.00
MWK606,561.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,796.99
F CFA3,920,481
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,071,738.45
|
|
pay 31.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.45
F CFA1,414
|
$1.08
MWK1,871.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.23
F CFA2,441
|
$3.21
MWK5,561.38
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.47
F CFA848
|
$1.59
MWK2,749.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$64.81
F CFA37,383
|
$44.05
MWK76,345.10
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.17
F CFA4,712
|
$3.95
MWK6,846.45
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Dakar
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.82
F CFA33,927
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.58
F CFA21,676
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.23
F CFA50,891
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.72
F CFA53,483
|
?? |
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