Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 20.2% more expensive than Rabat.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.7% more in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 70.6% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 33.9% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 26.2% more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 59.5% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.1% less in Lilongwe
The cost of groceries, childcare, housing, and restaurants in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Rabat. Expenses including transportation and entertainment and sports are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Rabat, you would:
pay 2.7% more for restaurants
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.03
MAD46.28
|
$3.46
MWK6,001.10
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.04
MAD55.54
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.63
MAD5.77
|
$0.91
MWK1,587.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.36
MAD3.34
|
$0.34
MWK589.66
|
|
pay 70.6% more for groceries
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.43
MAD3.99
|
$1.41
MWK2,451.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.52
MAD50.79
|
$7.88
MWK13,667.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.01
MAD27.68
|
$5.24
MWK9,081.37
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.79
MAD16.48
|
$3.06
MWK5,299.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.80
MAD25.70
|
$1.30
MWK2,246.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
MAD6.30
|
$1.07
MWK1,847.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.61
MAD5.65
|
$0.59
MWK1,027.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.37
MAD3.36
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.38
MAD3.52
|
$0.56
MWK977.88
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.31
MAD2.84
|
$0.84
MWK1,451.08
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.32
MAD2.93
|
$0.56
MWK977.75
|
|
pay 33.9% less for transportation
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.58
MAD51.35
|
$6.43
MWK11,148.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.17
MAD231.41
|
$4.32
MWK7,496.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,227.16
MAD314,721.73
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.95
MAD63.87
|
?? | |
pay 26.2% more for housing
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$37.69
MAD346.57
|
$62.37
MWK108,181.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$396.93
MAD3,649.82
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$225.91
MAD2,077.26
|
$67.61
MWK117,277.79
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$29.22
MAD268.68
|
$53.53
MWK92,851.26
|
|
pay 59.5% more for childcare
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$126.81
MAD1,166.04
|
$350.00
MWK607,104.39
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,470.70
MAD50,303.59
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,075,380.83
|
|
pay 4.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.03
MAD37.03
|
$1.08
MWK1,873.67
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.75
MAD16.07
|
$3.21
MWK5,566.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.98
MAD36.56
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$26.09
MAD239.86
|
$44.05
MWK76,413.39
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.54
MAD60.17
|
$3.95
MWK6,852.58
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Rabat
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.04
MAD450.88
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.40
MAD389.86
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.38
MAD867.80
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$88.59
MAD814.57
|
?? |
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