Cost of living comparison
Islamabad is 15.4% cheaper than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Islamabad instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 46.1% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,974.95
|
$1.79
PKR496.23
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$4.30
PKR1,190.96
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,580.21
|
$0.35
PKR98.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK587.09
|
$0.24
PKR67.09
|
|
pay 46.0% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,440.65
|
$0.68
PKR187.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,607.89
|
$2.96
PKR820.62
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,041.80
|
$3.31
PKR918.67
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,276.22
|
$1.25
PKR346.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,236.50
|
$1.64
PKR454.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,839.54
|
$0.48
PKR133.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,023.14
|
$0.38
PKR106.11
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.37
PKR103.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.62
|
$0.26
PKR72.34
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,444.76
|
$0.19
PKR52.28
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.49
|
$0.25
PKR69.51
|
|
pay 8.3% more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,099.82
|
$3.81
PKR1,055.31
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
$6.80
PKR1,885.69
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$21,479.46
PKR5,954,812.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$4.27
PKR1,185.01
|
|
pay 11.4% more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK107,710.56
|
$18.16
PKR5,033.23
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$174.15
PKR48,280.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK116,766.81
|
$99.01
PKR27,447.96
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,446.71
|
$84.99
PKR23,561.07
|
|
pay 24.5% less for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK604,459.26
|
$60.17
PKR16,681.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,057,624.58
|
$3,142.14
PKR871,103.94
|
|
pay 4.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,865.50
|
$1.79
PKR496.23
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,542.10
|
$1.97
PKR545.39
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
$2.15
PKR595.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,080.46
|
$23.01
PKR6,380.16
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
$4.30
PKR1,190.96
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Islamabad
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$19.06
PKR5,283.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$26.18
PKR7,257.43
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$83.29
PKR23,091.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$38.79
PKR10,754.64
|
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