Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 2.7 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 11.4% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK6,017.13
|
$4.17
CN¥30.19
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$5.57
CN¥40.26
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,591.36
|
$0.50
CN¥3.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK591.24
|
$0.31
CN¥2.24
|
|
pay 5.7% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,457.88
|
$1.43
CN¥10.37
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,703.97
|
$7.31
CN¥52.85
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,105.64
|
$7.17
CN¥51.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,313.47
|
$1.74
CN¥12.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,252.29
|
$1.53
CN¥11.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,852.53
|
$0.92
CN¥6.63
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,030.36
|
$0.71
CN¥5.14
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.89
CN¥6.41
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.50
|
$0.58
CN¥4.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,454.96
|
$0.37
CN¥2.66
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.36
|
$0.47
CN¥3.41
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,178.19
|
$4.36
CN¥31.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,516.81
|
$33.40
CN¥241.53
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$20,872.18
CN¥150,958.03
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$4.59
CN¥33.21
|
|
pay 2.8 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,471.03
|
$13.28
CN¥96.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$929.88
CN¥6,725.34
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,591.22
|
$492.44
CN¥3,561.59
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK93,099.41
|
$42.04
CN¥304.06
|
|
pay 6.0 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK608,726.93
|
$763.49
CN¥5,521.97
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,086,272.64
|
$22,913.01
CN¥165,718.37
|
|
pay 58.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,878.67
|
$1.11
CN¥8.05
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,581.23
|
$3.60
CN¥26.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,759.34
|
$3.48
CN¥25.16
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,617.61
|
$65.46
CN¥473.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,870.89
|
$8.35
CN¥60.38
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$62.65
CN¥453.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$34.69
CN¥250.87
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$83.45
CN¥603.57
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$107.64
CN¥778.48
|
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