Cost of living comparison
Thimphu is 8.9% cheaper than Lilongwe.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.1% less in Thimphu
- Groceries
-
pay 29.6% less in Thimphu
- Transportation
-
pay 23.5% less in Thimphu
- Housing
-
pay 33.8% less in Thimphu
- Childcare
-
pay 50.5% less in Thimphu
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.2 times more in Thimphu
Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in Thimphu. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Thimphu.
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
MWK5,998.85
|
$2.95
BTN251.53
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$2.95
BTN251.53
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,586.53
|
$0.55
BTN47.29
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK589.44
|
$0.19
BTN15.93
|
|
pay 29.6% less for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,450.41
|
$0.94
BTN80.49
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,662.33
|
$1.68
BTN143.37
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,077.98
|
$3.17
BTN270.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,297.32
|
$2.20
BTN188.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,245.45
|
$1.74
BTN148.32
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,846.90
|
$1.07
BTN91.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,027.23
|
$0.65
BTN55.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.82
BTN70.28
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK977.52
|
$0.37
BTN31.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,450.54
|
$0.23
BTN19.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK977.39
|
$0.26
BTN21.91
|
|
pay 23.5% less for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,144.23
|
$3.93
BTN335.12
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,493.97
|
$3.97
BTN338.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$21,215.98
BTN1,810,999.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$15.09
BTN1,287.82
|
|
pay 33.8% less for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,141.46
|
$31.25
BTN2,667.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$124.45
BTN10,623.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,233.94
|
$79.38
BTN6,776.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,816.54
|
$16.69
BTN1,424.42
|
|
pay 50.5% less for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK606,877.41
|
$246.05
BTN21,002.56
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,857.15
|
$677.73
BTN57,851.38
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,872.97
|
$6.43
BTN548.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,564.27
|
$1.53
BTN130.79
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,750.95
|
$3.83
BTN326.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,384.82
|
$49.11
BTN4,192.13
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,850.01
|
$3.54
BTN301.83
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$9.43
BTN804.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$11.79
BTN1,006.11
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$32.41
BTN2,766.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$32.41
BTN2,766.80
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thimphu or Lilongwe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.