Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 89.6% more expensive than Islamabad.
- Restaurants
-
pay 97.4% more in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2 times more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 16.1% more in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 58.3% more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 3.3 times more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.1% more in Lilongwe
The cost of childcare, groceries, restaurants, housing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Islamabad. Notably, childcare, groceries, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Islamabad, you would:
pay 97.4% more for restaurants
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.79
PKR501.59
|
$3.46
MWK5,999.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.30
PKR1,203.83
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.35
PKR99.18
|
$0.91
MWK1,586.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.24
PKR67.82
|
$0.34
MWK589.48
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for groceries
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.68
PKR190.02
|
$1.41
MWK2,450.58
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$2.96
PKR829.49
|
$7.88
MWK13,663.26
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.31
PKR928.60
|
$5.24
MWK9,078.59
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.25
PKR350.32
|
$3.06
MWK5,297.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.64
PKR459.87
|
$1.30
MWK2,245.60
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.48
PKR135.15
|
$1.07
MWK1,847.03
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.38
PKR107.26
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.30
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.37
PKR104.12
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.26
PKR73.12
|
$0.56
MWK977.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.19
PKR52.85
|
$0.84
MWK1,450.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.25
PKR70.26
|
$0.56
MWK977.45
|
|
pay 16.1% more for transportation
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.81
PKR1,066.70
|
$6.43
MWK11,144.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.80
PKR1,906.06
|
$4.32
MWK7,494.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,479.46
PKR6,019,126.70
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.27
PKR1,197.81
|
?? | |
pay 58.3% more for housing
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$18.16
PKR5,087.60
|
$62.37
MWK108,148.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$174.15
PKR48,802.14
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$99.01
PKR27,744.41
|
$67.61
MWK117,241.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$84.99
PKR23,815.54
|
$53.53
MWK92,822.84
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for childcare
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$60.17
PKR16,861.27
|
$350.00
MWK606,918.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,142.14
PKR880,512.25
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,074,133.45
|
|
pay 16.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.79
PKR501.59
|
$1.08
MWK1,873.09
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.97
PKR551.28
|
$3.21
MWK5,564.65
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.15
PKR601.91
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$23.01
PKR6,449.06
|
$44.05
MWK76,390.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.30
PKR1,203.83
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.48
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Islamabad
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$19.06
PKR5,340.50
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$26.18
PKR7,335.81
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.29
PKR23,340.84
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$38.79
PKR10,870.79
|
?? |
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