Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 63.5% more expensive than Kenya.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Kenya, you would:
pay 33.8% more for restaurants
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.08
KES396.73
|
$4.34
MWK7,515.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.77
KES743.70
|
$9.11
MWK15,769.92
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
KES77.79
|
$0.87
MWK1,514.98
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.48
KES61.30
|
$0.43
MWK752.81
|
|
pay 65.1% more for groceries
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.50
KES64.82
|
$1.37
MWK2,371.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.28
KES551.59
|
$4.82
MWK8,355.83
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.86
KES368.69
|
$4.53
MWK7,839.65
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.62
KES208.92
|
$2.31
MWK4,003.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.32
KES298.54
|
$1.93
MWK3,350.23
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.01
KES130.18
|
$1.04
MWK1,798.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.42
KES53.49
|
$0.81
MWK1,408.35
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.60
KES77.66
|
$1.13
MWK1,950.73
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.33
KES42.97
|
$0.53
MWK915.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.29
KES37.59
|
$0.72
MWK1,250.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.38
KES48.82
|
$0.59
MWK1,019.00
|
|
pay 41.4% more for transportation
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.64
KES726.48
|
$6.21
MWK10,752.39
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$33.59
KES4,327.91
|
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$16,982.90
KES2,188,119.89
|
$35,910.51
MWK62,191,129.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.89
KES1,146.01
|
$20.54
MWK35,572.58
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.22
KES5,053.65
|
$187.17
MWK324,153.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$184.65
KES23,791.42
|
$203.55
MWK352,522.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$112.87
KES14,542.15
|
$99.20
MWK171,802.34
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$20.03
KES2,580.86
|
$41.38
MWK71,670.63
|
|
pay 61.8% more for childcare
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$120.67
KES15,547.46
|
$361.94
MWK626,821.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,188.65
KES797,360.93
|
$1,469.79
MWK2,545,440.96
|
|
pay 1.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.94
KES250.45
|
$1.12
MWK1,945.46
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.12
KES273.64
|
$2.92
MWK5,060.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.66
KES343.10
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.22
KES3,894.17
|
$51.53
MWK89,243.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.77
KES744.06
|
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for clothing
|
Kenya
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$13.35
KES1,720.25
|
$45.53
MWK78,850.51
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$20.55
KES2,648.31
|
$35.18
MWK60,925.01
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$30.06
KES3,872.84
|
$59.57
MWK103,168.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$39.30
KES5,063.81
|
$71.18
MWK123,278.23
|
|
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