Cost of living comparison
Vientiane is 2.9 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Vientiane instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 15.9% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,991.59
|
$1.82
LAK39,833
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$3.24
LAK70,993
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,584.61
|
$0.67
LAK14,796
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.73
|
$0.43
LAK9,396
|
|
pay 11.4% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,447.45
|
$0.93
LAK20,395
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,645.79
|
$14.08
LAK308,600
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,066.99
|
$6.60
LAK144,656
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,290.91
|
$1.80
LAK39,435
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,242.73
|
$3.01
LAK65,978
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,844.66
|
$0.90
LAK19,817
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,025.99
|
$0.51
LAK11,074
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.95
LAK20,807
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.33
|
$0.62
LAK13,522
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,448.78
|
$0.75
LAK16,475
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.20
|
$0.47
LAK10,297
|
|
pay 6.3 times more for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,130.74
|
$5.14
LAK112,637
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
$50.97
LAK1,117,340
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$28,928.24
LAK634,119,696
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$17.94
LAK393,194
|
|
pay 4.4 times more for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,010.55
|
$13.36
LAK292,967
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$863.65
LAK18,931,546
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,092.02
|
$785.49
LAK17,218,267
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,704.19
|
$65.45
LAK1,434,602
|
|
pay 4.0 times more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$342.92
LAK7,516,910
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,068,925.57
|
$9,300.83
LAK203,878,187
|
|
pay 14.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,870.70
|
$1.00
LAK21,844
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,557.53
|
$1.67
LAK36,599
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
$1.64
LAK35,978
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,292.35
|
$51.00
LAK1,117,900
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
$2.49
LAK54,610
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$81.96
LAK1,796,545
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$62.33
LAK1,366,228
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$58.81
LAK1,289,226
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$42.69
LAK935,866
|
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