Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 23.4% more expensive than Kigali.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.5% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 78.2% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 19.5% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 47.1% more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 29.4% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.7% more in Lilongwe
The cost of groceries, housing, childcare, and entertainment and sports in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Kigali. Expenses including transportation and restaurants are lower in Lilongwe. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Kigali, you would:
pay 6.5% less for restaurants
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.26
RWF4,676
|
$3.46
MWK6,001.10
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.16
RWF8,833
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
RWF1,282
|
$0.91
MWK1,587.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
RWF675
|
$0.34
MWK589.66
|
|
pay 78.2% more for groceries
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.01
RWF1,445
|
$1.41
MWK2,451.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$2.26
RWF3,236
|
$7.88
MWK13,667.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.66
RWF3,807
|
$5.24
MWK9,081.37
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.67
RWF2,390
|
$3.06
MWK5,299.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.19
RWF3,142
|
$1.30
MWK2,246.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.38
RWF1,974
|
$1.07
MWK1,847.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.52
RWF747
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.86
RWF1,231
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
RWF693
|
$0.56
MWK977.88
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.22
RWF322
|
$0.84
MWK1,451.08
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.33
RWF466
|
$0.56
MWK977.75
|
|
pay 19.5% less for transportation
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.48
RWF6,419
|
$6.43
MWK11,148.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$24.66
RWF35,333
|
$4.32
MWK7,496.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,668.41
RWF29,617,255
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.33
RWF17,666
|
?? | |
pay 47.1% more for housing
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$26.20
RWF37,541
|
$62.37
MWK108,181.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$489.52
RWF701,461
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$271.95
RWF389,701
|
$67.61
MWK117,277.79
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$30.04
RWF43,045
|
$53.53
MWK92,851.26
|
|
pay 29.4% more for childcare
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$149.39
RWF214,076
|
$350.00
MWK607,104.39
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,609.00
RWF13,769,425
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,075,380.83
|
|
pay 11.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.09
RWF1,559
|
$1.08
MWK1,873.67
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.22
RWF3,175
|
$3.21
MWK5,566.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.36
RWF3,377
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.83
RWF45,609
|
$44.05
MWK76,413.39
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.63
RWF5,196
|
$3.95
MWK6,852.58
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Kigali
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$16.68
RWF23,902
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$21.76
RWF31,176
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$26.59
RWF38,104
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$31.43
RWF45,032
|
?? |
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