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
MWK5,974.95
|
$2.95
BTN249.51
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$2.95
BTN249.51
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,580.21
|
$0.55
BTN46.91
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK587.09
|
$0.19
BTN15.80
|
|
pay 29.6% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,440.65
|
$0.94
BTN79.84
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,607.89
|
$1.68
BTN142.22
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,041.80
|
$3.17
BTN268.24
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,276.22
|
$2.20
BTN186.63
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,236.50
|
$1.74
BTN147.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,839.54
|
$1.07
BTN90.54
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,023.14
|
$0.65
BTN55.46
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.82
BTN69.72
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.62
|
$0.37
BTN31.24
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,444.76
|
$0.23
BTN19.47
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.49
|
$0.26
BTN21.73
|
|
pay 23.5% less for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,099.82
|
$3.93
BTN332.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
$3.97
BTN335.87
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$21,215.98
BTN1,796,470.02
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$15.09
BTN1,277.49
|
|
pay 33.8% less for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK107,710.56
|
$31.25
BTN2,645.73
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$124.45
BTN10,537.95
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK116,766.81
|
$79.38
BTN6,721.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,446.71
|
$16.69
BTN1,412.99
|
|
pay 50.5% less for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK604,459.26
|
$246.05
BTN20,834.06
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,057,624.58
|
$677.73
BTN57,387.24
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,865.50
|
$6.43
BTN544.59
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,542.10
|
$1.53
BTN129.75
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
$3.83
BTN324.36
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,080.46
|
$49.11
BTN4,158.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
$3.54
BTN299.41
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$9.43
BTN798.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$11.79
BTN998.04
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$32.41
BTN2,744.61
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$32.41
BTN2,744.61
|
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