Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 41.7% more expensive than Nuku'alofa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 70.0% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 23.0% less in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 37.1% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 56.8% less in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 5.8 times more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 38.8% less in Lilongwe
Expenses including restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and groceries are lower in Lilongwe. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Nuku'alofa, you would:
pay 70.0% less for restaurants
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.40
TOP20.23
|
$3.46
MWK5,999.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.50
TOP25.29
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.66
TOP6.41
|
$0.91
MWK1,586.58
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.38
TOP5.73
|
$0.34
MWK589.46
|
|
pay 23.0% less for groceries
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.05
TOP2.53
|
$1.41
MWK2,450.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.55
TOP10.96
|
$7.88
MWK13,662.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.99
TOP14.42
|
$5.24
MWK9,078.29
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.15
TOP12.41
|
$3.06
MWK5,297.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.70
TOP6.50
|
$1.30
MWK2,245.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.27
TOP3.06
|
$1.07
MWK1,846.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
TOP3.06
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
TOP3.21
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.71
TOP4.13
|
$0.56
MWK977.55
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.46
TOP3.52
|
$0.84
MWK1,450.59
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.21
TOP2.91
|
$0.56
MWK977.42
|
|
pay 37.1% less for transportation
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.57
TOP13.40
|
$6.43
MWK11,144.61
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.01
TOP101.15
|
$4.32
MWK7,494.23
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$5,881.34
TOP14,160.85
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$69.32
TOP166.90
|
?? | |
pay 56.8% less for housing
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$126.03
TOP303.45
|
$62.37
MWK108,145.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? | ?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | ?? |
$67.61
MWK117,237.95
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.56
TOP348.07
|
$53.53
MWK92,819.72
|
|
pay 5.8 times more for childcare
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$159.64
TOP384.37
|
$350.00
MWK606,898.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$252.06
TOP606.89
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,073,996.54
|
|
pay 38.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.36
TOP8.09
|
$1.08
MWK1,873.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.94
TOP7.08
|
$3.21
MWK5,564.46
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.29
TOP24.78
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.05
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.51
TOP75.86
|
$44.05
MWK76,387.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$42.01
TOP101.15
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.25
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Nuku'alofa
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$4.20
TOP10.11
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$17.85
TOP42.99
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$21.00
TOP50.57
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$29.41
TOP70.80
|
?? |
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