Cost of living comparison
Vientiane is 2.6 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Vientiane instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 20.2% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,974.95
|
$1.98
LAK43,223
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$2.97
LAK64,834
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,580.21
|
$0.53
LAK11,527
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK587.09
|
$0.42
LAK9,222
|
|
pay 8.6% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,440.65
|
$0.91
LAK19,882
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,607.89
|
$13.72
LAK299,058
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,041.80
|
$6.42
LAK139,955
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,276.22
|
$1.75
LAK38,164
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,236.50
|
$2.95
LAK64,328
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,839.54
|
$0.88
LAK19,226
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,023.14
|
$0.49
LAK10,733
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.92
LAK20,130
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.62
|
$0.60
LAK12,989
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,444.76
|
$0.73
LAK15,826
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK973.49
|
$0.46
LAK9,986
|
|
pay 6.1 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,099.82
|
$5.00
LAK109,090
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
$49.23
LAK1,073,317
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$28,330.27
LAK617,613,727
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$11.18
LAK243,777
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK107,710.56
|
$11.17
LAK243,571
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$859.15
LAK18,729,935
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK116,766.81
|
$775.98
LAK16,916,684
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,446.71
|
$54.31
LAK1,183,946
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK604,459.26
|
$332.66
LAK7,252,144
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,057,624.58
|
$9,252.41
LAK201,706,997
|
|
pay 16.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,865.50
|
$0.95
LAK20,680
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,542.10
|
$1.50
LAK32,604
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
$1.59
LAK34,578
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,080.46
|
$49.74
LAK1,084,322
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
$3.50
LAK76,387
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$85.86
LAK1,871,725
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$62.88
LAK1,370,784
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$57.29
LAK1,248,897
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$41.48
LAK904,227
|
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