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
MWK5,974.95
|
$4.17
CN¥30.46
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$5.57
CN¥40.61
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,580.21
|
$0.50
CN¥3.62
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK587.09
|
$0.31
CN¥2.26
|
|
pay 5.7% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,440.65
|
$1.43
CN¥10.47
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,607.89
|
$7.31
CN¥53.31
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,041.80
|
$7.17
CN¥52.31
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,276.22
|
$1.74
CN¥12.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,236.50
|
$1.53
CN¥11.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,839.54
|
$0.92
CN¥6.69
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,023.14
|
$0.71
CN¥5.19
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.89
CN¥6.47
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.62
|
$0.58
CN¥4.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,444.76
|
$0.37
CN¥2.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.49
|
$0.47
CN¥3.44
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,099.82
|
$4.36
CN¥31.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
$33.40
CN¥243.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$20,872.18
CN¥152,291.77
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$4.59
CN¥33.50
|
|
pay 2.8 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK107,710.56
|
$13.28
CN¥96.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$929.88
CN¥6,784.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK116,766.81
|
$492.44
CN¥3,593.06
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,446.71
|
$42.04
CN¥306.74
|
|
pay 6.0 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK604,459.26
|
$763.49
CN¥5,570.76
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,057,624.58
|
$22,913.01
CN¥167,182.52
|
|
pay 58.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,865.50
|
$1.11
CN¥8.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,542.10
|
$3.60
CN¥26.29
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
$3.48
CN¥25.38
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,080.46
|
$65.46
CN¥477.60
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
$8.35
CN¥60.92
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$62.65
CN¥457.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$34.69
CN¥253.09
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$83.45
CN¥608.91
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$107.64
CN¥785.36
|
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