Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 42.0% cheaper than Washington.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Washington, you would:
pay 61.5% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.67
|
$4.32
MWK7,481.34
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.36
|
$9.04
MWK15,655.94
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.69
|
$0.87
MWK1,509.35
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.05
|
$0.43
MWK749.35
|
|
pay 39.3% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.73
|
$1.36
MWK2,362.58
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.70
|
$4.82
MWK8,341.27
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.02
|
$4.51
MWK7,813.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.61
|
$2.31
MWK3,992.74
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.38
|
$1.93
MWK3,333.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.03
MWK1,791.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.81
MWK1,401.62
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.12
MWK1,936.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$0.53
MWK912.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.21
|
$0.72
MWK1,245.85
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.14
|
$0.59
MWK1,014.92
|
|
pay 7.6% less for transportation
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
|
$6.19
MWK10,712.06
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.97
|
$4.32
MWK7,481.08
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,230.18
|
$35,669.17
MWK61,741,628.79
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.60
|
$20.40
MWK35,315.47
|
|
pay 17.5% less for housing
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.07
|
$186.12
MWK322,173.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,678.49
|
$202.19
MWK349,974.23
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,500.86
|
$98.76
MWK170,953.87
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.02
|
$41.29
MWK71,463.97
|
|
pay 86.3% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,651.91
|
$354.75
MWK614,062.08
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,288.69
|
$1,467.81
MWK2,540,709.21
|
|
pay 58.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.59
|
$1.12
MWK1,937.68
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.24
|
$2.91
MWK5,042.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.62
|
$1.59
MWK2,746.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.78
|
$51.33
MWK88,855.20
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.67
|
$3.95
MWK6,838.23
|
|
pay 23.4% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.46
|
$45.22
MWK78,280.60
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.64
|
$34.94
MWK60,484.66
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.80
|
$59.17
MWK102,423.04
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.76
|
$70.71
MWK122,387.21
|
|
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