Cost of living comparison
Freetown is 2.2 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Freetown instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 53.4% more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK6,002.53
|
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,587.50
|
$1.03
SLL21,591
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK589.80
|
$0.89
SLL18,596
|
|
pay 63.5% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,451.92
|
$0.50
SLL10,485
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,670.72
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,083.55
|
$7.57
SLL158,756
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,300.58
|
$1.95
SLL40,891
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,246.83
|
$3.40
SLL71,337
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,848.03
|
$1.81
SLL38,046
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,027.86
|
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? | ?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK978.12
|
$2.27
SLL47,558
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,451.43
|
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK977.99
|
$0.74
SLL15,488
|
|
pay 24.8% less for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,151.07
|
$4.83
SLL101,357
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,498.58
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$12,000.00
SLL251,634,000
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$10.75
SLL225,422
|
|
pay 6.0 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,207.85
|
$100.00
SLL2,096,950
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$1,361.67
SLL28,553,469
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,305.92
|
$978.33
SLL20,515,161
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,873.53
|
$110.40
SLL2,314,990
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK607,250.00
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,076,358.30
|
?? |
pay 23.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,874.12
|
$1.50
SLL31,454
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,567.69
|
$1.74
SLL36,435
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,752.64
|
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,431.72
|
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,854.22
|
?? | |
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Freetown
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$8.00
SLL167,756
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$20.00
SLL419,390
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Freetown or Lilongwe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.