Cost of living comparison

 Lilongwe, Malawi
compared to
 Lusaka, Zambia
Lusaka vs. Lilongwe Cost of Living Summary

Lusaka is 87.9% more expensive than Lilongwe.

Restaurants
pay 27.9% more in Lusaka
Groceries
pay 5.9% less in Lusaka
Transportation
pay 4.7 times more in Lusaka
Housing
pay 76.0% more in Lusaka
Childcare
pay 65.1% more in Lusaka
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.4% less in Lusaka

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

Lusaka vs. Lilongwe Cost Breakdown

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

pay 27.9% more for restaurants

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $3.46
MWK6,007.72
$7.21
ZMW165.97
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
?? $3.82
ZMW87.95
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.91
MWK1,588.87
$0.71
ZMW16.42

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pay 5.9% less for groceries

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Bread
1 loaf
$1.41
MWK2,454.04
$0.74
ZMW17.02
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.88
MWK13,682.54
$3.64
ZMW83.68
Milk (1 gallon) $5.24
MWK9,091.40
$4.85
ZMW111.68

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pay 4.7 times more for transportation

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.43
MWK11,160.71
$4.77
ZMW109.68
Monthly public transit pass $4.32
MWK7,505.06
$37.04
ZMW852.42
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $8,004.53
ZMW184,233.16

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pay 76.0% more for housing

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$62.37
MWK108,301.40
$125.92
ZMW2,898.17
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area ?? $214.42
ZMW4,935.18
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $67.61
MWK117,407.33
$114.96
ZMW2,645.90

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pay 65.1% more for childcare

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $350.00
MWK607,775.00
$176.79
ZMW4,069.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $2,349.49
MWK4,079,882.53
$6,570.42
ZMW151,225.65

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pay 1.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.08
MWK1,875.74
$0.97
ZMW22.25
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.21
MWK5,572.50
$2.07
ZMW47.72
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.59
MWK2,755.02
$2.49
ZMW57.29

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
Lilongwe
Lusaka
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $18.43
ZMW424.30
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $18.78
ZMW432.33
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $90.18
ZMW2,075.51

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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: July 2025
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See the cost of living in Malawi vs. Zambia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Malawi and Zambia.

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