Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 2.5 times more expensive than Lesotho.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Lesotho, you would:
pay 25.1% more for restaurants
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | ?? |
$4.34
MWK7,484.79
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.94
LSL199.19
|
$9.11
MWK15,705.41
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.66
LSL11.95
|
$0.87
MWK1,508.78
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.27
LSL4.98
|
$0.43
MWK749.73
|
|
pay 14.1% more for groceries
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.78
LSL14.14
|
$1.37
MWK2,361.80
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$2.55
LSL46.34
|
$4.82
MWK8,321.65
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
LSL60.59
|
$4.53
MWK7,807.58
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.20
LSL21.83
|
$2.31
MWK3,987.53
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.97
LSL53.97
|
$1.93
MWK3,336.52
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$0.88
LSL16.04
|
$1.04
MWK1,790.74
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
LSL17.54
|
$0.81
MWK1,402.59
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.30
LSL23.61
|
$1.13
MWK1,942.75
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
LSL20.24
|
$0.53
MWK912.10
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.78
LSL14.17
|
$0.72
MWK1,244.90
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.89
LSL16.19
|
$0.59
MWK1,014.84
|
|
pay 81.3% more for transportation
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.43
LSL80.64
|
$6.21
MWK10,708.41
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$27.24
LSL495.73
|
$4.32
MWK7,454.28
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,066.76
LSL347,009.53
|
$35,910.51
MWK61,936,725.77
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.39
LSL98.15
|
$20.54
MWK35,427.07
|
|
pay 3.6 times more for housing
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$21.79
LSL396.58
|
$187.17
MWK322,827.32
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$190.67
LSL3,470.10
|
$203.55
MWK351,080.11
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$95.33
LSL1,735.05
|
$99.20
MWK171,099.55
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
?? |
$41.38
MWK71,377.45
|
|
pay 7.1 times more for childcare
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$28.15
LSL512.25
|
$361.94
MWK624,257.20
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,071.37
LSL19,498.63
|
$1,469.79
MWK2,535,028.38
|
|
pay 57.9% more for entertainment and sports
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.82
LSL14.94
|
$1.12
MWK1,937.50
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.37
LSL24.90
|
$2.92
MWK5,039.34
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.63
LSL84.27
|
$1.59
MWK2,736.38
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$20.88
LSL380.06
|
$51.53
MWK88,878.93
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$3.95
MWK6,813.73
|
|
pay 20.5% less for clothing
Lesotho
|
Malawi
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$40.86
LSL743.59
|
$45.53
MWK78,527.96
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.13
LSL694.02
|
$35.18
MWK60,675.79
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.24
LSL1,751.57
|
$59.57
MWK102,746.69
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.19
LSL2,478.64
|
$71.18
MWK122,773.94
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malawi or Lesotho. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.