Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 42.3% more expensive than Malaysia.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Malaysia, you would:
pay 50.2% more for restaurants
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.98
MYR13.43
|
$4.32
MWK7,464.37
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.23
MYR19.06
|
$9.04
MWK15,620.43
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.68
MYR3.06
|
$0.87
MWK1,505.93
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.38
MYR1.72
|
$0.43
MWK747.65
|
|
pay 8.5% more for groceries
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.91
MYR4.11
|
$1.36
MWK2,357.22
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.65
MYR34.49
|
$4.82
MWK8,322.35
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.39
MYR28.80
|
$4.51
MWK7,795.72
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.97
MYR8.89
|
$2.31
MWK3,983.69
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.83
MYR8.25
|
$1.93
MWK3,325.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.17
MYR5.29
|
$1.03
MWK1,787.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.57
MYR2.57
|
$0.81
MWK1,398.44
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.21
MYR5.47
|
$1.12
MWK1,932.24
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.63
MYR2.85
|
$0.53
MWK910.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.43
MYR1.94
|
$0.72
MWK1,243.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.51
MYR2.29
|
$0.59
MWK1,012.62
|
|
pay 93.8% more for transportation
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.77
MYR7.98
|
$6.19
MWK10,687.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.69
MYR70.72
|
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,330.57
MYR154,762.23
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,601,594.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.94
MYR31.27
|
$20.40
MWK35,235.38
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$26.31
MYR118.63
|
$186.12
MWK321,442.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$322.80
MYR1,455.19
|
$202.19
MWK349,180.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$212.35
MYR957.27
|
$98.76
MWK170,566.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$33.00
MYR148.76
|
$41.29
MWK71,301.88
|
|
pay 19.5% more for childcare
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$163.68
MYR737.86
|
$354.75
MWK612,669.34
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,626.64
MYR29,872.89
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,534,946.69
|
|
pay 15.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.66
MYR16.49
|
$1.12
MWK1,933.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.54
MYR11.45
|
$2.91
MWK5,030.70
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.07
MYR18.33
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.32
MYR163.74
|
$51.33
MWK88,653.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.00
MYR18.02
|
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
|
pay 3.5% more for clothing
|
Malaysia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.15
MYR239.59
|
$45.22
MWK78,103.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.13
MYR135.81
|
$34.94
MWK60,347.48
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$65.18
MYR293.82
|
$59.17
MWK102,190.74
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$57.93
MYR261.17
|
$70.71
MWK122,109.63
|
|
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