Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 2.1 times more expensive than Somalia.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Somalia, you would:
pay 37.4% more for restaurants
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.65
SOS1,514
|
$4.32
MWK7,498.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.67
SOS2,667
|
$9.04
MWK15,692.55
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.81
SOS462
|
$0.87
MWK1,512.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.51
SOS292
|
$0.43
MWK751.10
|
|
pay 9.2% more for groceries
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.97
SOS556
|
$1.36
MWK2,368.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$1.96
SOS1,119
|
$4.82
MWK8,360.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.93
SOS3,389
|
$4.51
MWK7,831.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.21
SOS1,262
|
$2.31
MWK4,002.08
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.67
SOS1,527
|
$1.93
MWK3,341.34
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.73
SOS987
|
$1.03
MWK1,795.49
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
SOS505
|
$0.81
MWK1,404.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.32
SOS752
|
$1.12
MWK1,941.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.54
SOS311
|
$0.53
MWK914.64
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
SOS343
|
$0.72
MWK1,248.76
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.54
SOS310
|
$0.59
MWK1,017.29
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for transportation
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.12
SOS2,356
|
$6.19
MWK10,737.11
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.00
SOS14,288
|
$4.32
MWK7,498.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$5,750.00
SOS3,286,125
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,886,003.48
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.43
SOS4,248
|
$20.40
MWK35,398.06
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$30.62
SOS17,502
|
$186.12
MWK322,926.56
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$160.00
SOS91,440
|
$202.19
MWK350,792.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$93.33
SOS53,340
|
$98.76
MWK171,353.62
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$94.31
SOS53,900
|
$41.29
MWK71,631.08
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for childcare
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$55.21
SOS31,552
|
$354.75
MWK615,497.99
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$742.50
SOS424,339
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,546,650.33
|
|
pay 24.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
SOS4,000
|
$1.12
MWK1,942.21
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.24
SOS706
|
$2.91
MWK5,053.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.34
SOS769
|
$1.59
MWK2,752.64
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.00
SOS17,145
|
$51.33
MWK89,062.98
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
SOS2,858
|
$3.95
MWK6,854.22
|
|
pay 94.3% more for clothing
|
Somalia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$18.61
SOS10,636
|
$45.22
MWK78,463.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$23.11
SOS13,208
|
$34.94
MWK60,626.10
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$25.89
SOS14,796
|
$59.17
MWK102,662.55
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$45.78
SOS26,162
|
$70.71
MWK122,673.40
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malawi or Somalia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.