Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 11.4% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.2% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 7.3% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0 times more in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 24.0% more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 17.1% less in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.7% less in Lilongwe
The cost of transportation, housing, and groceries in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Lilongwe. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:
pay 17.2% less for restaurants
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.54
MYR19.32
|
$3.46
MWK6,002.48
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.54
MYR19.32
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
MYR3.59
|
$0.91
MWK1,587.49
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.53
MYR2.27
|
$0.34
MWK589.80
|
|
pay 7.3% more for groceries
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.95
MYR4.03
|
$1.41
MWK2,451.89
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.58
MYR32.22
|
$7.88
MWK13,670.60
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.22
MYR30.69
|
$5.24
MWK9,083.47
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.36
MYR10.02
|
$3.06
MWK5,300.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.94
MYR8.23
|
$1.30
MWK2,246.81
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.24
MYR5.27
|
$1.07
MWK1,848.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.69
MYR2.94
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.25
MYR5.32
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.63
MYR2.66
|
$0.56
MWK978.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.47
MYR1.98
|
$0.84
MWK1,451.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.51
MYR2.18
|
$0.56
MWK977.98
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.77
MYR7.54
|
$6.43
MWK11,150.97
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.36
MYR48.30
|
$4.32
MWK7,498.51
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,478.71
MYR159,378.19
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.22
MYR43.47
|
?? | |
pay 24.0% more for housing
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$25.27
MYR107.44
|
$62.37
MWK108,206.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$536.30
MYR2,280.60
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$371.69
MYR1,580.61
|
$67.61
MWK117,304.91
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$50.02
MYR212.73
|
$53.53
MWK92,872.74
|
|
pay 17.1% less for childcare
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$250.80
MYR1,066.55
|
$350.00
MWK607,244.81
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,920.55
MYR37,934.64
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,076,323.44
|
|
pay 28.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.09
MYR17.39
|
$1.08
MWK1,874.10
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.92
MYR12.41
|
$3.21
MWK5,567.64
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.09
MYR17.39
|
$1.59
MWK2,752.62
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.75
MYR190.29
|
$44.05
MWK76,431.06
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.77
MYR20.28
|
$3.95
MWK6,854.16
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.74
MYR245.53
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.00
MYR148.84
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.75
MYR326.39
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$73.25
MYR311.51
|
?? |
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