Cost of living comparison

 Lilongwe, Malawi
compared to
 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Dushanbe vs. Lilongwe Cost of Living Summary

Dushanbe is 36.0% more expensive than Lilongwe.

Restaurants
pay 4.3% more in Dushanbe
Groceries
pay 26.2% less in Dushanbe
Transportation
pay 21.1% less in Dushanbe
Housing
pay 47.9% more in Dushanbe
Childcare
pay 3.1 times more in Dushanbe
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.1% more in Dushanbe

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Dushanbe are more expensive than in Lilongwe. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in Dushanbe. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Dushanbe.

Dushanbe vs. Lilongwe Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Dushanbe instead of Lilongwe, you would:

pay 4.3% more for restaurants

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $3.46
MWK5,995.72
$5.61
TJS56.10
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
?? $9.16
TJS91.57
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.91
MWK1,585.70
$0.62
TJS6.23

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pay 26.2% less for groceries

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Bread
1 loaf
$1.41
MWK2,449.13
$0.57
TJS5.71
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.88
MWK13,655.19
$4.28
TJS42.76
Milk (1 gallon) $5.24
MWK9,073.23
$3.05
TJS30.44

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pay 21.1% less for transportation

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.43
MWK11,138.40
$3.19
TJS31.86
Monthly public transit pass $4.32
MWK7,490.06
$4.68
TJS46.75
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $20,113.17
TJS201,034.08

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pay 47.9% more for housing

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$62.37
MWK108,084.91
$23.95
TJS239.37
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area ?? $413.18
TJS4,129.77
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $67.61
MWK117,172.64
$210.49
TJS2,103.85

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pay 3.1 times more for childcare

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $350.00
MWK606,560.10
$106.65
TJS1,065.95
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $2,349.49
MWK4,071,727.11
$13,658.24
TJS136,516.17

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pay 5.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.08
MWK1,871.99
$1.12
TJS11.22
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.21
MWK5,561.36
$2.29
TJS22.91
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.59
MWK2,749.51
$2.34
TJS23.38

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
Lilongwe
Dushanbe
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $28.06
TJS280.51
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $36.11
TJS360.93
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $76.71
TJS766.73

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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See the cost of living in Malawi vs. Tajikistan. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Malawi and Tajikistan.

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