Cost of living comparison
Lima is 2.0 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lima instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 23.9% more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,991.59
|
$4.03
PEN15.20
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$6.18
PEN23.30
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,584.61
|
$0.86
PEN3.26
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.73
|
$0.55
PEN2.06
|
|
pay 3.8% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,447.45
|
$2.33
PEN8.80
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,645.79
|
$3.60
PEN13.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,066.99
|
$4.93
PEN18.59
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,290.91
|
$2.67
PEN10.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,242.73
|
$2.37
PEN8.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,844.66
|
$0.80
PEN3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,025.99
|
$0.49
PEN1.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.46
PEN1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.33
|
$0.49
PEN1.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,448.78
|
$0.48
PEN1.79
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.20
|
$0.48
PEN1.83
|
|
pay 2.8 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,130.74
|
$5.61
PEN21.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$20.86
PEN78.62
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$21,497.63
PEN81,041.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$20.42
PEN76.99
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,010.55
|
$29.05
PEN109.51
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$557.54
PEN2,101.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,092.02
|
$362.83
PEN1,367.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,704.19
|
$47.53
PEN179.17
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$250.81
PEN945.49
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,068,925.57
|
$7,392.79
PEN27,869.31
|
|
pay 72.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,870.70
|
$2.15
PEN8.10
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,557.53
|
$2.66
PEN10.02
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$5.37
PEN20.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,292.35
|
$30.70
PEN115.73
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$6.72
PEN25.33
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Lima
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$43.97
PEN165.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$31.91
PEN120.29
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$81.88
PEN308.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$91.53
PEN345.06
|
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