Cost of living comparison

 Malawi
compared to
 Tajikistan
Tajikistan vs. Malawi Cost of Living Summary

Tajikistan is 26.2% more expensive than Malawi overall.

Restaurants
pay 12.3% less in Tajikistan
Groceries
pay 30.6% less in Tajikistan
Transportation
pay 42.2% less in Tajikistan
Housing
pay 28.4% more in Tajikistan
Childcare
pay 3.6 times more in Tajikistan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.9% less in Tajikistan
Clothing
pay 14.5% less in Tajikistan

The cost of childcare and housing in Tajikistan are more expensive than in Malawi. Expenses including transportation, groceries, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Tajikistan. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan vs. Malawi Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Tajikistan instead of Malawi, you would:

pay 12.3% less for restaurants

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.32
MWK7,494.49
$5.61
TJS61.10
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.04
MWK15,683.46
$7.97
TJS86.77
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
MWK1,512.00
$0.59
TJS6.45

Improve prices ·

pay 30.6% less for groceries

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Bread
1 loaf
$1.36
MWK2,366.74
$0.57
TJS6.21
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.82
MWK8,355.93
$4.28
TJS46.57
Milk (1 gallon) $4.51
MWK7,827.17
$3.05
TJS33.15

Improve prices ·

pay 42.2% less for transportation

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.19
MWK10,730.89
$3.19
TJS34.69
Monthly public transit pass $4.32
MWK7,494.23
$4.68
TJS50.91
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,669.17
MWK61,850,147.98
$20,113.17
TJS218,924.58

Improve prices ·

pay 28.4% more for housing

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$186.12
MWK322,739.46
$23.95
TJS260.67
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $202.19
MWK350,589.35
$365.06
TJS3,973.52
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $98.76
MWK171,254.34
$230.24
TJS2,506.12

Improve prices ·

pay 3.6 times more for childcare

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $354.75
MWK615,141.38
$106.65
TJS1,160.81
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $1,467.81
MWK2,545,174.85
$10,076.23
TJS109,676.12

Improve prices ·

pay 3.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
MWK1,941.09
$1.12
TJS12.22
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.91
MWK5,051.00
$1.61
TJS17.56
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.59
MWK2,751.05
$2.34
TJS25.46

Improve prices ·

pay 14.5% less for clothing

 
Malawi
Tajikistan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.22
MWK78,418.19
$24.79
TJS269.84
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$34.94
MWK60,590.97
$36.11
TJS393.05
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$59.17
MWK102,603.07
$76.71
TJS834.97

Improve prices ·
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: April 2025
Share this

Compare by city

Select a city in Malawi
Select a city..
compared to
Select a city in Tajikistan
Select a city..
For example, try comparing the cost of living in Lilongwe vs. Dushanbe

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tajikistan or Malawi. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.