Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 15.3% more expensive than Kampala.
- Restaurants
-
pay 46.1% more in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 42.4% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 39.4% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 4.5% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 65.8% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 18.8% less in Lilongwe
The cost of childcare, restaurants, and groceries in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Kampala. Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Kampala, you would:
pay 46.1% more for restaurants
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.72
UGX9,956
|
$3.46
MWK5,998.85
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.48
UGX34,753
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.45
UGX1,659
|
$0.91
MWK1,586.53
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
UGX1,145
|
$0.34
MWK589.44
|
|
pay 42.4% more for groceries
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.23
UGX4,500
|
$1.41
MWK2,450.41
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$1.81
UGX6,618
|
$7.88
MWK13,662.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.58
UGX9,440
|
$5.24
MWK9,077.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.87
UGX6,836
|
$3.06
MWK5,297.32
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.16
UGX7,931
|
$1.30
MWK2,245.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.24
UGX4,530
|
$1.07
MWK1,846.90
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
UGX2,495
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.23
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
UGX3,052
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
UGX2,563
|
$0.56
MWK977.52
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
UGX2,459
|
$0.84
MWK1,450.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.84
UGX3,087
|
$0.56
MWK977.39
|
|
pay 39.4% less for transportation
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.75
UGX21,072
|
$6.43
MWK11,144.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.35
UGX166,220
|
$4.32
MWK7,493.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$8,827.16
UGX32,356,724
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$2.72
UGX9,956
|
?? | |
pay 4.5% less for housing
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.62
UGX258,854
|
$62.37
MWK108,141.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$364.73
UGX1,336,937
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$241.73
UGX886,076
|
$67.61
MWK117,233.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$31.44
UGX115,258
|
$53.53
MWK92,816.54
|
|
pay 65.8% more for childcare
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$126.15
UGX462,397
|
$350.00
MWK606,877.41
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,345.68
UGX15,929,464
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,857.15
|
|
pay 18.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.36
UGX4,978
|
$1.08
MWK1,872.97
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.73
UGX10,001
|
$3.21
MWK5,564.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.78
UGX10,205
|
$1.59
MWK2,750.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.08
UGX172,569
|
$44.05
MWK76,384.82
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.79
UGX24,890
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.01
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Kampala
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$17.11
UGX62,722
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$13.24
UGX48,535
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$33.20
UGX121,683
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$50.10
UGX183,631
|
?? |
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Lilongwe or Kampala. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.