Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 4.8% cheaper than Lusaka.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Lusaka, you would:
pay 7.0% less for restaurants
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.21
ZMW198.77
|
$3.46
MWK5,974.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$3.82
ZMW105.33
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.71
ZMW19.67
|
$0.91
MWK1,580.21
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
ZMW9.12
|
$0.34
MWK587.09
|
|
pay 20.5% more for groceries
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.74
ZMW20.39
|
$1.41
MWK2,440.65
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.64
ZMW100.21
|
$7.88
MWK13,607.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.85
ZMW133.75
|
$5.24
MWK9,041.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.92
ZMW53.05
|
$3.06
MWK5,276.22
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.80
ZMW49.52
|
$1.30
MWK2,236.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.20
ZMW33.10
|
$1.07
MWK1,839.54
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZMW16.64
|
$0.59
MWK1,023.14
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.27
ZMW34.87
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
ZMW15.53
|
$0.56
MWK973.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
ZMW26.35
|
$0.84
MWK1,444.76
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.67
ZMW18.57
|
$0.56
MWK973.49
|
|
pay 26.7% less for transportation
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.77
ZMW131.35
|
$6.43
MWK11,099.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.04
ZMW1,020.85
|
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$8,004.53
ZMW220,637.61
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.13
ZMW334.34
|
?? | |
pay 42.5% less for housing
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$125.92
ZMW3,470.85
|
$62.37
MWK107,710.56
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$214.42
ZMW5,910.37
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$114.96
ZMW3,168.73
|
$67.61
MWK116,766.81
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$83.50
ZMW2,301.65
|
$53.53
MWK92,446.71
|
|
pay 16.9% more for childcare
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$176.79
ZMW4,873.04
|
$350.00
MWK604,459.26
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,570.42
ZMW181,107.82
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,057,624.58
|
|
pay 10.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.97
ZMW26.65
|
$1.08
MWK1,865.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.07
ZMW57.15
|
$3.21
MWK5,542.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.49
ZMW68.61
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.21
ZMW1,135.97
|
$44.05
MWK76,080.46
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.50
ZMW96.46
|
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$18.43
ZMW508.14
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$18.78
ZMW517.76
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.18
ZMW2,485.63
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$82.76
ZMW2,281.24
|
?? |
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