Cost of living comparison
Sofia is 2.4 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Sofia instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 2.6 times more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK6,017.13
|
$10.96
BGN20.36
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$8.22
BGN15.27
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,591.36
|
$1.48
BGN2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK591.24
|
$1.03
BGN1.91
|
|
pay 21.8% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,457.88
|
$1.12
BGN2.08
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,703.97
|
$5.28
BGN9.81
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,105.64
|
$6.60
BGN12.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,313.47
|
$3.55
BGN6.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,252.29
|
$3.50
BGN6.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,852.53
|
$0.80
BGN1.49
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,030.36
|
$0.85
BGN1.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.81
BGN1.50
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.50
|
$1.11
BGN2.06
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,454.96
|
$0.51
BGN0.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.36
|
$0.47
BGN0.87
|
|
pay 3.6 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,178.19
|
$5.66
BGN10.51
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,516.81
|
$27.40
BGN50.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$29,952.87
BGN55,639.02
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$7.51
BGN13.95
|
|
pay 2.9 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,471.03
|
$13.48
BGN25.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$570.94
BGN1,060.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,591.22
|
$430.23
BGN799.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK93,099.41
|
$114.12
BGN211.99
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK608,726.93
|
$554.43
BGN1,029.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,086,272.64
|
$6,747.31
BGN12,533.49
|
|
pay 65.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,878.67
|
$2.74
BGN5.09
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,581.23
|
$2.26
BGN4.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,759.34
|
$3.34
BGN6.21
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,617.61
|
$37.04
BGN68.81
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,870.89
|
$8.22
BGN15.27
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$70.63
BGN131.21
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$33.57
BGN62.36
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$99.28
BGN184.41
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$102.16
BGN189.77
|
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