Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 15.5% more expensive than South Africa.
If you lived in Malawi instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 3.1% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.97
ZAR164.35
|
$4.32
MWK7,464.37
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.77
ZAR87.39
|
$9.04
MWK15,620.43
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.95
ZAR17.48
|
$0.87
MWK1,505.93
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
ZAR13.57
|
$0.43
MWK747.65
|
|
pay 21.4% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.99
ZAR18.15
|
$1.36
MWK2,357.22
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.67
ZAR67.32
|
$4.82
MWK8,322.35
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.20
ZAR76.91
|
$4.51
MWK7,795.72
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.23
ZAR40.79
|
$2.31
MWK3,983.69
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.03
ZAR37.15
|
$1.93
MWK3,325.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR12.40
|
$1.03
MWK1,787.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
ZAR11.31
|
$0.81
MWK1,398.44
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR11.76
|
$1.12
MWK1,932.24
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.80
|
$0.53
MWK910.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR10.14
|
$0.72
MWK1,243.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.61
ZAR11.15
|
$0.59
MWK1,012.62
|
|
pay 36.0% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
ZAR91.38
|
$6.19
MWK10,687.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.31
ZAR958.24
|
$4.32
MWK7,464.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,607.77
ZAR377,497.20
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,601,594.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.55
ZAR156.60
|
$20.40
MWK35,235.38
|
|
pay 46.1% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.37
ZAR757.81
|
$186.12
MWK321,442.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$382.55
ZAR7,007.69
|
$202.19
MWK349,180.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$326.35
ZAR5,978.10
|
$98.76
MWK170,566.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$80.40
ZAR1,472.75
|
$41.29
MWK71,301.88
|
|
pay 20.1% more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$174.12
ZAR3,189.50
|
$354.75
MWK612,669.34
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,033.53
ZAR73,886.96
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,534,946.69
|
|
pay 0.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.11
ZAR38.61
|
$1.12
MWK1,933.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.88
ZAR34.49
|
$2.91
MWK5,030.70
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.90
ZAR53.20
|
$1.59
MWK2,739.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.50
ZAR540.40
|
$51.33
MWK88,653.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.62
ZAR121.29
|
$3.95
MWK6,822.72
|
|
pay 10.9% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.72
ZAR874.06
|
$45.22
MWK78,103.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.06
ZAR587.26
|
$34.94
MWK60,347.48
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.39
ZAR1,655.76
|
$59.17
MWK102,190.74
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.37
ZAR1,490.50
|
$70.71
MWK122,109.63
|
|
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