Cost of living comparison
Malawi is 32.3% cheaper than Arkansas.
If you lived in Malawi instead of Arkansas, you would:
pay 51.9% less for restaurants
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.50
|
$4.34
MWK7,525.65
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.28
|
$9.11
MWK15,791.13
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$0.87
MWK1,517.02
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.77
|
$0.43
MWK753.82
|
|
pay 27.6% less for groceries
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.02
|
$1.37
MWK2,374.69
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.06
|
$4.82
MWK8,367.07
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.86
|
$4.53
MWK7,850.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.81
|
$2.31
MWK4,009.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.16
|
$1.93
MWK3,354.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$1.04
MWK1,800.52
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
|
$0.81
MWK1,410.24
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.13
MWK1,953.36
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$0.53
MWK917.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
|
$0.72
MWK1,251.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$0.59
MWK1,020.38
|
|
pay 18.6% more for transportation
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.90
|
$6.21
MWK10,766.86
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.50
|
$4.32
MWK7,494.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,168.47
|
$35,910.51
MWK62,274,792.88
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.71
|
$20.54
MWK35,620.44
|
|
pay 15.9% less for housing
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.71
|
$187.17
MWK324,589.39
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,250.70
|
$203.55
MWK352,996.39
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$925.50
|
$99.20
MWK172,033.46
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$168.25
|
$41.38
MWK71,767.04
|
|
pay 80.1% less for childcare
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,088.01
|
$361.94
MWK627,664.56
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,150.00
|
$1,469.79
MWK2,548,865.24
|
|
pay 47.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.16
|
$1.12
MWK1,948.08
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.73
|
$2.92
MWK5,066.85
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.46
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.32
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.62
|
$51.53
MWK89,364.05
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.93
|
|
pay 21.4% less for clothing
|
Arkansas
|
Malawi
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.82
|
$45.53
MWK78,956.59
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.49
|
$35.18
MWK61,006.97
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.98
|
$59.57
MWK103,307.51
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$113.10
|
$71.18
MWK123,444.08
|
|
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