Cost of living comparison
Sofia is 2.5 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Sofia instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,991.59
|
$11.07
BGN19.90
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$8.30
BGN14.92
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,584.61
|
$1.35
BGN2.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.73
|
$0.84
BGN1.50
|
|
pay 20.0% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,447.45
|
$1.07
BGN1.93
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,645.79
|
$5.00
BGN8.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,066.99
|
$6.57
BGN11.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,290.91
|
$3.48
BGN6.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,242.73
|
$3.46
BGN6.22
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,844.66
|
$0.73
BGN1.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,025.99
|
$0.82
BGN1.48
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.80
BGN1.44
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.33
|
$1.07
BGN1.91
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,448.78
|
$0.49
BGN0.89
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.20
|
$0.56
BGN1.00
|
|
pay 3.7 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,130.74
|
$5.81
BGN10.44
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$27.68
BGN49.75
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$27,677.83
BGN49,747.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$7.14
BGN12.83
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,010.55
|
$13.00
BGN23.36
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$546.64
BGN982.51
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,092.02
|
$407.37
BGN732.20
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,704.19
|
$104.32
BGN187.50
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$508.23
BGN913.48
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,068,925.57
|
$7,673.93
BGN13,792.85
|
|
pay 52.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,870.70
|
$2.10
BGN3.78
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,557.53
|
$2.06
BGN3.70
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$3.32
BGN5.97
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,292.35
|
$36.02
BGN64.74
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$8.30
BGN14.92
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$72.32
BGN129.99
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$32.26
BGN57.99
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$99.80
BGN179.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$94.08
BGN169.09
|
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