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
ZMW198.58
|
$3.46
MWK6,017.13
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$3.82
ZMW105.23
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.71
ZMW19.65
|
$0.91
MWK1,591.36
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
ZMW9.11
|
$0.34
MWK591.24
|
|
pay 20.5% more for groceries
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.74
ZMW20.37
|
$1.41
MWK2,457.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.64
ZMW100.12
|
$7.88
MWK13,703.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.85
ZMW133.62
|
$5.24
MWK9,105.64
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.92
ZMW52.99
|
$3.06
MWK5,313.47
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.80
ZMW49.47
|
$1.30
MWK2,252.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.20
ZMW33.07
|
$1.07
MWK1,852.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZMW16.62
|
$0.59
MWK1,030.36
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.27
ZMW34.84
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
ZMW15.51
|
$0.56
MWK980.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.96
ZMW26.32
|
$0.84
MWK1,454.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.67
ZMW18.55
|
$0.56
MWK980.36
|
|
pay 26.7% less for transportation
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.77
ZMW131.23
|
$6.43
MWK11,178.19
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.04
ZMW1,019.88
|
$4.32
MWK7,516.81
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$8,004.53
ZMW220,427.21
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.13
ZMW334.03
|
?? | |
pay 42.5% less for housing
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$125.92
ZMW3,467.54
|
$62.37
MWK108,471.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$214.42
ZMW5,904.73
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$114.96
ZMW3,165.71
|
$67.61
MWK117,591.22
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$83.50
ZMW2,299.46
|
$53.53
MWK93,099.41
|
|
pay 16.9% more for childcare
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$176.79
ZMW4,868.39
|
$350.00
MWK608,726.93
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,570.42
ZMW180,935.12
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,086,272.64
|
|
pay 10.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.97
ZMW26.63
|
$1.08
MWK1,878.67
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.07
ZMW57.10
|
$3.21
MWK5,581.23
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.49
ZMW68.54
|
$1.59
MWK2,759.34
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.21
ZMW1,134.89
|
$44.05
MWK76,617.61
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.50
ZMW96.37
|
$3.95
MWK6,870.89
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Lusaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$18.43
ZMW507.66
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$18.78
ZMW517.27
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.18
ZMW2,483.26
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$82.76
ZMW2,279.06
|
?? |
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