Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 3.6 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 11.2% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,991.59
|
$4.15
CN¥29.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$5.54
CN¥39.46
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,584.61
|
$0.50
CN¥3.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.73
|
$0.31
CN¥2.21
|
|
pay 4.4% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,447.45
|
$1.43
CN¥10.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,645.79
|
$6.83
CN¥48.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,066.99
|
$7.46
CN¥53.16
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,290.91
|
$1.75
CN¥12.45
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,242.73
|
$1.44
CN¥10.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,844.66
|
$0.96
CN¥6.83
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,025.99
|
$0.79
CN¥5.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.87
CN¥6.21
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.33
|
$0.58
CN¥4.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,448.78
|
$0.37
CN¥2.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.20
|
$0.49
CN¥3.47
|
|
pay 4.3 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,130.74
|
$4.35
CN¥31.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$34.62
CN¥246.61
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$20,773.90
CN¥147,964.16
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$4.68
CN¥33.34
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,010.55
|
$13.59
CN¥96.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$969.73
CN¥6,906.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,092.02
|
$561.86
CN¥4,001.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,704.19
|
$42.17
CN¥300.36
|
|
pay 10.8 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$836.50
CN¥5,958.03
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,068,925.57
|
$25,256.69
CN¥179,893.27
|
|
pay 62.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,870.70
|
$1.38
CN¥9.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,557.53
|
$3.73
CN¥26.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$3.46
CN¥24.66
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,292.35
|
$62.16
CN¥442.74
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$8.31
CN¥59.19
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$65.57
CN¥467.03
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$35.21
CN¥250.79
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$85.31
CN¥607.59
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$112.58
CN¥801.88
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Beijing or Lilongwe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.