Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 4.8% cheaper than Gaborone.
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
BWP103.18
|
$3.46
MWK5,974.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.00
BWP82.55
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
BWP11.46
|
$0.91
MWK1,580.21
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.49
BWP6.72
|
$0.34
MWK587.09
|
|
pay 26.5% more for groceries
|
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.81
BWP11.18
|
$1.41
MWK2,440.65
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.37
BWP46.36
|
$7.88
MWK13,607.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.06
BWP69.66
|
$5.24
MWK9,041.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.29
BWP31.53
|
$3.06
MWK5,276.22
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.27
BWP31.30
|
$1.30
MWK2,236.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.77
BWP10.66
|
$1.07
MWK1,839.54
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
BWP8.52
|
$0.59
MWK1,023.14
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.88
BWP12.17
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
BWP8.88
|
$0.56
MWK973.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
BWP8.22
|
$0.84
MWK1,444.76
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
BWP7.54
|
$0.56
MWK973.49
|
|
pay 17.2% less for transportation
|
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.27
BWP58.82
|
$6.43
MWK11,099.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$28.18
BWP387.97
|
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,486.26
BWP309,551.13
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.49
BWP268.28
|
?? | |
pay 25.8% less for housing
|
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$90.60
BWP1,247.23
|
$62.37
MWK107,710.56
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$254.84
BWP3,508.25
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$149.91
BWP2,063.67
|
$67.61
MWK116,766.81
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$49.21
BWP677.46
|
$53.53
MWK92,446.71
|
|
pay 28.5% more for childcare
|
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$180.24
BWP2,481.25
|
$350.00
MWK604,459.26
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,740.68
BWP51,495.12
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,057,624.58
|
|
pay 15.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
BWP30.96
|
$1.08
MWK1,865.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.37
BWP32.62
|
$3.21
MWK5,542.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.75
BWP51.59
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.19
BWP443.12
|
$44.05
MWK76,080.46
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.75
BWP92.87
|
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Gaborone
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.14
BWP607.64
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.17
BWP305.13
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.20
BWP1,049.03
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.16
BWP1,282.43
|
?? |
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