Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 4.8% cheaper than Gaborone.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.7% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 26.5% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 17.2% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 25.8% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 28.5% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.8% less in Lilongwe
The cost of childcare and groceries in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Gaborone. Expenses including housing, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Gaborone, you would:
pay 24.7% less for restaurants
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.50
BWP100.05
|
$3.46
MWK5,997.60
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.00
BWP80.04
|
?? | |
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
BWP11.11
|
$0.91
MWK1,586.20
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.49
BWP6.51
|
$0.34
MWK589.32
|
|
pay 26.5% more for groceries
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.81
BWP10.84
|
$1.41
MWK2,449.90
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.37
BWP44.96
|
$7.88
MWK13,659.48
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.06
BWP67.54
|
$5.24
MWK9,076.08
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.29
BWP30.58
|
$3.06
MWK5,296.22
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.27
BWP30.35
|
$1.30
MWK2,244.98
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$0.77
BWP10.33
|
$1.07
MWK1,846.51
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
BWP8.26
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.02
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.88
BWP11.80
|
?? | |
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
BWP8.61
|
$0.56
MWK977.31
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
BWP7.97
|
$0.84
MWK1,450.23
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
BWP7.31
|
$0.56
MWK977.18
|
|
pay 17.2% less for transportation
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.27
BWP57.04
|
$6.43
MWK11,141.90
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$28.18
BWP376.18
|
$4.32
MWK7,492.41
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,486.26
BWP300,147.51
|
?? | |
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.49
BWP260.13
|
?? | |
pay 25.8% less for housing
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$90.60
BWP1,209.34
|
$62.37
MWK108,118.89
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$254.84
BWP3,401.67
|
?? | |
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$149.91
BWP2,000.98
|
$67.61
MWK117,209.48
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$49.21
BWP656.88
|
$53.53
MWK92,797.18
|
|
pay 28.5% more for childcare
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$180.24
BWP2,405.87
|
$350.00
MWK606,750.80
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,740.68
BWP49,930.79
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,007.23
|
|
pay 15.8% less for entertainment and sports
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
BWP30.01
|
$1.08
MWK1,872.57
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.37
BWP31.63
|
$3.21
MWK5,563.11
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.75
BWP50.02
|
$1.59
MWK2,750.38
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.19
BWP429.66
|
$44.05
MWK76,368.89
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.75
BWP90.04
|
$3.95
MWK6,848.59
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.14
BWP589.18
|
?? | |
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.17
BWP295.86
|
?? | |
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.20
BWP1,017.17
|
?? | |
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.16
BWP1,243.47
|
?? |
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