Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 66.3% more expensive than Malawi.
If you lived in South Africa instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 35.2% more for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.32
MWK7,498.84
|
$8.97
ZAR162.53
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.04
MWK15,692.55
|
$4.77
ZAR86.42
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.87
MWK1,512.88
|
$0.95
ZAR17.29
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.43
MWK751.10
|
$0.74
ZAR13.42
|
|
pay 13.1% less for groceries
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.36
MWK2,368.11
|
$0.99
ZAR17.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.82
MWK8,360.77
|
$3.67
ZAR66.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.51
MWK7,831.71
|
$4.20
ZAR76.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.31
MWK4,002.08
|
$2.23
ZAR40.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.93
MWK3,341.34
|
$2.03
ZAR36.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.03
MWK1,795.49
|
$0.68
ZAR12.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
MWK1,404.89
|
$0.62
ZAR11.18
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.12
MWK1,941.16
|
$0.64
ZAR11.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
MWK914.64
|
$0.70
ZAR12.65
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
MWK1,248.76
|
$0.55
ZAR10.03
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,017.29
|
$0.61
ZAR11.03
|
|
pay 3.5 times more for transportation
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.19
MWK10,737.11
|
$4.99
ZAR90.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,498.58
|
$52.31
ZAR947.63
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,669.17
MWK61,886,003.48
|
$20,607.77
ZAR373,316.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.40
MWK35,398.06
|
$8.55
ZAR154.86
|
|
pay 84.1% more for housing
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$186.12
MWK322,926.56
|
$41.37
ZAR749.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$202.19
MWK350,792.59
|
$382.55
ZAR6,930.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$98.76
MWK171,353.62
|
$326.35
ZAR5,911.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.29
MWK71,631.08
|
$80.40
ZAR1,456.44
|
|
pay 62.0% more for childcare
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$354.75
MWK615,497.99
|
$174.12
ZAR3,154.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,467.81
MWK2,546,650.33
|
$4,033.53
ZAR73,068.60
|
|
pay 32.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
MWK1,942.21
|
$2.11
ZAR38.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.91
MWK5,053.92
|
$1.88
ZAR34.11
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,752.64
|
$2.90
ZAR52.61
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.33
MWK89,062.98
|
$29.50
ZAR534.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,854.22
|
$6.62
ZAR119.94
|
|
pay 16.3% more for clothing
|
Malawi
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.22
MWK78,463.65
|
$47.72
ZAR864.38
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.94
MWK60,626.10
|
$32.06
ZAR580.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$59.17
MWK102,662.55
|
$90.39
ZAR1,637.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$70.71
MWK122,673.40
|
$81.37
ZAR1,473.99
|
|
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