Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 41.6% cheaper than Virginia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 60.3% less in Malawi
- Groceries
-
pay 41.9% less in Malawi
- Transportation
-
pay 4.7% more in Malawi
- Housing
-
pay 21.5% less in Malawi
- Childcare
-
pay 86.5% less in Malawi
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 58.4% less in Malawi
- Clothing
-
pay 27.6% less in Malawi
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, clothing, and housing are lower in Malawi.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Virginia, you would:
pay 60.3% less for restaurants
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.49
|
$4.32
MWK7,503.48
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.13
|
$9.04
MWK15,702.28
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
|
$0.87
MWK1,513.82
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$0.43
MWK751.56
|
|
pay 41.9% less for groceries
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$1.36
MWK2,369.58
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.98
|
$4.82
MWK8,365.96
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.79
|
$4.51
MWK7,836.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.41
|
$2.31
MWK4,004.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.54
|
$1.93
MWK3,343.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$1.03
MWK1,796.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.81
MWK1,405.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.12
MWK1,942.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.41
|
$0.53
MWK915.20
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$0.72
MWK1,249.53
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$0.59
MWK1,017.92
|
|
pay 4.7% more for transportation
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.36
|
$6.19
MWK10,743.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$79.15
|
$4.32
MWK7,503.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,788.87
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,924,363.92
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.99
|
$20.40
MWK35,420.00
|
|
pay 21.5% less for housing
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.48
|
$186.12
MWK323,126.72
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,832.03
|
$202.19
MWK351,010.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,500.84
|
$98.76
MWK171,459.84
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$145.31
|
$41.29
MWK71,675.48
|
|
pay 86.5% less for childcare
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,614.20
|
$354.75
MWK615,879.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,849.72
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,548,228.89
|
|
pay 58.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.17
|
$1.12
MWK1,943.41
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.19
|
$2.91
MWK5,057.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.03
|
$1.59
MWK2,754.35
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.19
|
$51.33
MWK89,118.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.24
|
$3.95
MWK6,858.47
|
|
pay 27.6% less for clothing
|
Virginia
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.05
|
$45.22
MWK78,512.29
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.36
|
$34.94
MWK60,663.68
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$92.16
|
$59.17
MWK102,726.18
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.91
|
$70.71
MWK122,749.44
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malawi or Virginia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.