Cost of living comparison
Nairobi is 2.1 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Nairobi instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 6.4% more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,991.59
|
$3.85
KES495.55
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$5.38
KES693.77
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,584.61
|
$0.59
KES75.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.73
|
$0.49
KES63.12
|
|
pay 18.0% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,447.45
|
$0.56
KES72.26
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,645.79
|
$5.70
KES733.82
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,066.99
|
$3.37
KES434.59
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,290.91
|
$1.69
KES218.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,242.73
|
$2.67
KES343.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,844.66
|
$1.12
KES144.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,025.99
|
$0.42
KES53.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.78
KES99.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.33
|
$0.41
KES52.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,448.78
|
$0.42
KES54.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.20
|
$0.48
KES61.21
|
|
pay 4.5 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,130.74
|
$6.09
KES784.44
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$34.46
KES4,440.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$18,461.54
KES2,378,631.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$12.62
KES1,625.40
|
|
pay 32.2% more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,010.55
|
$40.57
KES5,227.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$418.88
KES53,969.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,092.02
|
$196.01
KES25,253.90
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,704.19
|
$22.29
KES2,872.24
|
|
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$146.63
KES18,892.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,068,925.57
|
$7,624.54
KES982,365.18
|
|
pay 42.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,870.70
|
$2.31
KES297.33
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,557.53
|
$2.24
KES288.48
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$2.69
KES346.88
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,292.35
|
$45.86
KES5,908.85
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$6.15
KES792.88
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Nairobi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$18.56
KES2,391.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$24.95
KES3,213.98
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$57.17
KES7,365.65
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$52.46
KES6,759.24
|
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