Cost of living comparison
Beirut is 2.9 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Beirut instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,991.59
|
$8.00
LBP715,377
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$7.00
LBP625,955
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,584.61
|
$1.51
LBP135,353
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.73
|
$0.98
LBP87,435
|
|
pay 8.8% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,447.45
|
$0.78
LBP69,985
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,645.79
|
$5.14
LBP459,361
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,066.99
|
$6.42
LBP574,148
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,290.91
|
$2.17
LBP193,657
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,242.73
|
$3.32
LBP296,469
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,844.66
|
$0.61
LBP54,251
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,025.99
|
$0.57
LBP50,984
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.37
LBP33,438
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.33
|
$0.44
LBP39,407
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,448.78
|
$0.33
LBP29,339
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.20
|
$0.40
LBP35,998
|
|
pay 7.8 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,130.74
|
$3.53
LBP315,933
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$65.22
LBP5,831,881
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$25,000.00
LBP2,235,554,195
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$13.50
LBP1,207,199
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,010.55
|
$50.62
LBP4,526,997
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$771.88
LBP69,022,736
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,092.02
|
$369.23
LBP33,017,416
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,704.19
|
$189.49
LBP16,944,186
|
|
pay 76.6% more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$325.00
LBP29,062,205
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,068,925.57
|
$4,150.00
LBP371,101,996
|
|
pay 62.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,870.70
|
$3.00
LBP268,266
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,557.53
|
$2.48
LBP221,977
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$2.29
LBP204,777
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,292.35
|
$60.83
LBP5,439,849
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$7.00
LBP625,955
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$83.69
LBP7,483,518
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$54.29
LBP4,854,346
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$107.86
LBP9,644,820
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$117.86
LBP10,539,041
|
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