Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 47.2% more expensive than Sierra Leone overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.0% less in Malawi
- Groceries
-
pay 7.1% less in Malawi
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0 times more in Malawi
- Housing
-
pay 37.9% less in Malawi
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.5% less in Malawi
- Clothing
-
pay 3.3 times more in Malawi
The cost of clothing and transportation in Malawi are more expensive than in Sierra Leone. Expenses including housing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Malawi. Notably, clothing and transportation are significantly more expensive in Malawi.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
pay 8.0% less for restaurants
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
$4.32
MWK7,476.01
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
$9.04
MWK15,644.79
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
SLL21,591
|
$0.87
MWK1,508.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
SLL18,596
|
$0.43
MWK748.81
|
|
pay 7.1% less for groceries
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.50
SLL10,485
|
$1.36
MWK2,360.90
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$4.82
MWK8,335.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.57
SLL158,756
|
$4.51
MWK7,807.87
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.95
SLL40,891
|
$2.31
MWK3,989.90
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.40
SLL71,337
|
$1.93
MWK3,331.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.81
SLL38,046
|
$1.03
MWK1,790.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
$0.81
MWK1,400.62
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$1.12
MWK1,935.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
SLL47,558
|
$0.53
MWK911.85
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
$0.72
MWK1,244.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.74
SLL15,488
|
$0.59
MWK1,014.20
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
SLL101,357
|
$6.19
MWK10,704.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$4.32
MWK7,475.76
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$12,000.00
SLL251,634,000
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,697,668.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.75
SLL225,422
|
$20.40
MWK35,290.33
|
|
pay 37.9% less for housing
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.00
SLL2,096,950
|
$186.12
MWK321,943.81
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,361.67
SLL28,553,469
|
$202.19
MWK349,725.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$978.33
SLL20,515,161
|
$98.76
MWK170,832.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.40
SLL2,314,990
|
$41.29
MWK71,413.09
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$354.75
MWK613,624.87
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$1,467.81
MWK2,538,900.22
|
pay 0.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.50
SLL31,454
|
$1.12
MWK1,936.30
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.74
SLL36,435
|
$2.91
MWK5,038.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
$1.59
MWK2,744.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
$51.33
MWK88,791.94
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$3.95
MWK6,833.36
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for clothing
|
Sierra Leone
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
$45.22
MWK78,224.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$8.00
SLL167,756
|
$34.94
MWK60,441.60
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$20.00
SLL419,390
|
$59.17
MWK102,350.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
$70.71
MWK122,300.07
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malawi or Sierra Leone. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.