Cost of living comparison

Malawi

compared to

Central African Republic

Central African Republic vs. Malawi Cost of Living Summary

Central African Republic is 5.0 times more expensive than Malawi overall.

Restaurants: pay 2.3 times more in Central African Republic
Groceries: pay 2.3 times more in Central African Republic
Transportation: pay 49.9% more in Central African Republic
Housing: pay 17.1 times more in Central African Republic
Entertainment and Sports: pay 99.0% more in Central African Republic

The cost of housing, restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Central African Republic are more expensive than in Malawi. Notably, housing, restaurants, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Central African Republic.

Central African Republic vs. Malawi Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Malawi, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.3 times more for restaurants

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.32 MWK7,494.74	$8.17 FCFA4,927	+89.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.04 MWK15,683.98	$12.25 FCFA7,391	+35.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.87 MWK1,512.05	$2.04 FCFA1,232	+134.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.43 MWK750.69	$1.63 FCFA985	+277.4%
Average			+134.0%

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.3 times more for groceries

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Bread 1 loaf	$1.36 MWK2,366.81	$2.86 FCFA1,725	+109.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.82 MWK8,356.21	$3.06 FCFA1,848	-36.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.51 MWK7,827.43	$17.01 FCFA10,259	+276.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.31 MWK3,999.89	$3.59 FCFA2,168	+55.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.93 MWK3,339.52	$4.08 FCFA2,459	+111.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.03 MWK1,794.51	$0.74 FCFA447	-28.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.81 MWK1,404.13	$0.74 FCFA447	-8.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.12 MWK1,940.10	$2.96 FCFA1,788	+165.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.53 MWK914.14	$2.22 FCFA1,341	+321.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.72 MWK1,248.08	$1.85 FCFA1,118	+157.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.59 MWK1,016.74	$2.59 FCFA1,565	+342.4%
Average			+133.4%

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of groceries

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pay 49.9% more for transportation

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.19 MWK10,731.25	$9.28 FCFA5,596	+49.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$4.32 MWK7,494.48	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,669.17 MWK61,852,226.56	??
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$20.40 MWK35,378.74	??
Average			+49.9%

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of transportation

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pay 17.1 times more for housing

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$186.12 MWK322,750.31	??
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$202.19 MWK350,601.13	$1,984.60 FCFA1,197,014	+881.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$98.76 MWK171,260.10	$2,402.03 FCFA1,448,788	+2332.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$41.29 MWK71,591.98	??
Average			+1606.8%

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of housing

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$354.75 MWK615,162.05	??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$1,467.81 MWK2,545,260.39	??

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of childcare

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pay 99.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.12 MWK1,941.15	$2.86 FCFA1,725	+155.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.91 MWK5,051.17	$2.45 FCFA1,478	-15.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.59 MWK2,751.14	$4.08 FCFA2,464	+157.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.33 MWK89,014.37	??
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.95 MWK6,850.48	??
Average			+99.0%

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

	Malawi	Central African Republic
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$45.22 MWK78,420.83	??
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.94 MWK60,593.01	??
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$59.17 MWK102,606.51	??
Men's business shoes (leather)	$70.71 MWK122,606.44	??

Malawi vs. Central African Republic - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: March 2025

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