Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 30.8% cheaper than Kingston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 50.1% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 43.4% less in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 27.8% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 40.4% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 32.6% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 55.9% less in Lilongwe
Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, housing, and transportation are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Kingston, you would:
pay 50.1% less for restaurants
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.52
JMD1,198.39
|
$3.46
MWK5,995.72
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.62
JMD1,373.16
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.41
JMD225.08
|
$0.91
MWK1,585.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
JMD139.81
|
$0.34
MWK589.13
|
|
pay 43.4% less for groceries
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.54
JMD564.47
|
$1.41
MWK2,449.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.58
JMD1,047.96
|
$7.88
MWK13,655.19
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$15.26
JMD2,431.66
|
$5.24
MWK9,073.23
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
JMD680.75
|
$3.06
MWK5,294.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.97
JMD473.07
|
$1.30
MWK2,244.27
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
JMD430.59
|
$1.07
MWK1,845.93
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.39
JMD220.88
|
$0.59
MWK1,026.69
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.82
JMD290.59
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.59
JMD253.91
|
$0.56
MWK977.01
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.04
JMD166.09
|
$0.84
MWK1,449.78
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.95
JMD151.17
|
$0.56
MWK976.87
|
|
pay 27.8% less for transportation
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
JMD770.43
|
$6.43
MWK11,138.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.59
JMD5,991.95
|
$4.32
MWK7,490.06
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$42,920.30
JMD6,840,813.68
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$26.32
JMD4,194.37
|
?? | |
pay 40.4% less for housing
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.89
JMD8,429.49
|
$62.37
MWK108,084.91
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$874.50
JMD139,381.55
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$425.21
JMD67,771.09
|
$67.61
MWK117,172.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.83
JMD18,939.27
|
$53.53
MWK92,768.01
|
|
pay 32.6% more for childcare
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$227.66
JMD36,284.61
|
$350.00
MWK606,560.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,105.29
JMD335,549.40
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,071,727.11
|
|
pay 55.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.13
JMD499.33
|
$1.08
MWK1,871.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.28
JMD682.63
|
$3.21
MWK5,561.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.77
JMD1,398.12
|
$1.59
MWK2,749.51
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.97
JMD11,151.69
|
$44.05
MWK76,344.88
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.16
JMD2,097.18
|
$3.95
MWK6,846.43
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Kingston
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$26.32
JMD4,194.37
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.59
JMD4,077.86
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.01
JMD11,318.13
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$68.92
JMD10,985.25
|
?? |
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