Cost of living comparison
Thimphu is 8.9% cheaper than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Thimphu instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 33.1% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK6,017.13
|
$2.95
BTN248.32
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$2.95
BTN248.32
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,591.36
|
$0.55
BTN46.68
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK591.24
|
$0.19
BTN15.73
|
|
pay 29.6% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,457.88
|
$0.94
BTN79.46
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,703.97
|
$1.68
BTN141.54
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,105.64
|
$3.17
BTN266.95
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,313.47
|
$2.20
BTN185.74
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,252.29
|
$1.74
BTN146.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,852.53
|
$1.07
BTN90.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,030.36
|
$0.65
BTN55.19
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.82
BTN69.38
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.50
|
$0.37
BTN31.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,454.96
|
$0.23
BTN19.37
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.36
|
$0.26
BTN21.63
|
|
pay 23.5% less for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,178.19
|
$3.93
BTN330.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,516.81
|
$3.97
BTN334.26
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$21,215.98
BTN1,787,878.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$15.09
BTN1,271.38
|
|
pay 33.8% less for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,471.03
|
$31.25
BTN2,633.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$124.45
BTN10,487.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,591.22
|
$79.38
BTN6,689.57
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK93,099.41
|
$16.69
BTN1,406.23
|
|
pay 50.5% less for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK608,726.93
|
$246.05
BTN20,734.42
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,086,272.64
|
$677.73
BTN57,112.78
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,878.67
|
$6.43
BTN541.98
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,581.23
|
$1.53
BTN129.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,759.34
|
$3.83
BTN322.81
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,617.61
|
$49.11
BTN4,138.61
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,870.89
|
$3.54
BTN297.98
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$9.43
BTN794.61
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$11.79
BTN993.27
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$32.41
BTN2,731.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$32.41
BTN2,731.48
|
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