Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 37.4% more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
pay 48.2% less for restaurants
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.05
STD424,436
|
$4.34
MWK7,515.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.25
STD206,155
|
$9.11
MWK15,769.92
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.90
STD42,444
|
$0.87
MWK1,514.98
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.09
STD24,254
|
$0.43
MWK752.81
|
|
pay 24.0% less for groceries
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.96
STD21,433
|
$1.37
MWK2,371.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.52
STD212,218
|
$4.82
MWK8,355.83
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.81
STD107,111
|
$4.53
MWK7,839.65
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.99
STD88,800
|
$2.31
MWK4,003.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.64
STD192,521
|
$1.93
MWK3,350.23
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
STD33,004
|
$1.04
MWK1,798.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.49
STD11,001
|
$0.81
MWK1,408.35
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.73
STD38,504
|
$1.13
MWK1,950.73
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
STD33,004
|
$0.53
MWK915.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
STD24,753
|
$0.72
MWK1,250.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.86
STD19,252
|
$0.59
MWK1,019.00
|
|
pay 25.6% more for transportation
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.94
STD110,171
|
$6.21
MWK10,752.39
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$4.32
MWK7,484.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$35,910.51
MWK62,191,129.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$20.54
MWK35,572.58
|
|
pay 46.0% less for housing
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
?? |
$187.17
MWK324,153.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$326.55
STD7,276,054
|
$203.55
MWK352,522.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$217.70
STD4,850,703
|
$99.20
MWK171,802.34
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
?? |
$41.38
MWK71,670.63
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$361.94
MWK626,821.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$1,469.79
MWK2,545,440.96
|
pay 18.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.65
STD14,552
|
$1.12
MWK1,945.46
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.63
STD36,380
|
$2.92
MWK5,060.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.18
STD48,507
|
$1.59
MWK2,747.62
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.83
STD776,112
|
$51.53
MWK89,243.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$19.59
STD436,563
|
$3.95
MWK6,841.72
|
|
pay 4.0 times more for clothing
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$45.53
MWK78,850.51
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$35.18
MWK60,925.01
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$59.57
MWK103,168.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$17.85
STD397,758
|
$71.18
MWK123,278.23
|
|
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