Cost of living comparison
Damascus is 38.9% more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Damascus instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 39.9% more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK6,002.53
|
$5.00
SYP12,563
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$5.00
SYP12,563
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,587.50
|
$1.05
SYP2,638
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK589.80
|
$0.54
SYP1,369
|
|
pay 20.4% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,451.92
|
$0.63
SYP1,588
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,670.72
|
$1.67
SYP4,203
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,083.55
|
$4.05
SYP10,163
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,300.58
|
$1.97
SYP4,941
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,246.83
|
$3.01
SYP7,557
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,848.03
|
$0.46
SYP1,144
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,027.86
|
$0.96
SYP2,424
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.46
SYP1,152
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK978.12
|
$0.39
SYP979
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,451.43
|
$0.27
SYP672
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK977.99
|
$0.28
SYP694
|
|
pay 3.2 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,151.07
|
$15.92
SYP40,011
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,498.58
|
$17.00
SYP42,713
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$18,500.00
SYP46,481,805
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$11.00
SYP27,638
|
|
pay 61.2% more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,207.85
|
$66.75
SYP167,711
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$282.23
SYP709,121
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,305.92
|
$145.72
SYP366,128
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,873.53
|
$53.53
SYP134,494
|
|
pay 58.0% less for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK607,250.00
|
$48.33
SYP121,439
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,076,358.30
|
$1,650.00
SYP4,145,674
|
|
pay 9.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,874.12
|
$1.25
SYP3,141
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,567.69
|
$1.27
SYP3,203
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,752.64
|
$3.00
SYP7,538
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,431.72
|
$13.30
SYP33,417
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,854.22
|
$3.00
SYP7,538
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Damascus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$22.00
SYP55,276
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$23.50
SYP59,044
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$47.50
SYP119,345
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$56.25
SYP141,330
|
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