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
MWK6,017.13
|
$1.98
LAK43,696
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$2.97
LAK65,544
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,591.36
|
$0.53
LAK11,653
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK591.24
|
$0.42
LAK9,323
|
|
pay 8.6% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,457.88
|
$0.91
LAK20,100
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,703.97
|
$13.72
LAK302,333
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,105.64
|
$6.42
LAK141,488
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,313.47
|
$1.75
LAK38,582
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,252.29
|
$2.95
LAK65,032
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,852.53
|
$0.88
LAK19,436
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,030.36
|
$0.49
LAK10,850
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.92
LAK20,350
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.50
|
$0.60
LAK13,131
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,454.96
|
$0.73
LAK15,999
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK980.36
|
$0.46
LAK10,095
|
|
pay 6.1 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,178.19
|
$5.00
LAK110,285
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,516.81
|
$49.23
LAK1,085,070
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$28,330.27
LAK624,377,066
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$11.18
LAK246,447
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,471.03
|
$11.17
LAK246,239
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$859.15
LAK18,935,042
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,591.22
|
$775.98
LAK17,101,935
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK93,099.41
|
$54.31
LAK1,196,911
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$350.00
MWK608,726.93
|
$332.66
LAK7,331,561
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,086,272.64
|
$9,252.41
LAK203,915,841
|
|
pay 16.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,878.67
|
$0.95
LAK20,907
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,581.23
|
$1.50
LAK32,961
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,759.34
|
$1.59
LAK34,957
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,617.61
|
$49.74
LAK1,096,196
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,870.89
|
$3.50
LAK77,223
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$85.86
LAK1,892,222
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$62.88
LAK1,385,796
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$57.29
LAK1,262,574
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$41.48
LAK914,129
|
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