Cost of living comparison
compared to
Lilongwe vs. China Cost of Living Summary
Lilongwe is 26.6% more expensive than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 79.5% more in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 25.2% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 19.1% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 2.3 times more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 47.5% less in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.4% less in Lilongwe
The cost of housing, restaurants, and groceries in Lilongwe are more expensive than in China. Expenses including childcare, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Lilongwe. Notably, housing and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Lilongwe.
Lilongwe vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of China, you would:
pay 79.5% more for restaurants
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.40
|
$5.00
MWK8,670.87
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.32
|
$10.25
MWK17,775.27
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.34
|
$0.94
MWK1,623.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.95
|
$0.40
MWK688.80
|
|
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.2% more for groceries
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.46
|
$1.22
MWK2,123.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.49
|
$7.88
MWK13,664.20
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.21
|
$3.70
MWK6,423.01
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.00
|
$2.66
MWK4,604.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.73
|
$1.45
MWK2,507.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.23
|
$1.17
MWK2,023.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.84
|
$0.56
MWK978.10
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.39
|
$0.68
MWK1,179.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.55
|
$0.70
MWK1,209.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.12
|
$0.62
MWK1,078.22
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.78
|
$0.56
MWK977.52
|
|
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of groceries
pay 19.1% less for transportation
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.53
|
$6.09
MWK10,569.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.09
|
$4.32
MWK7,495.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥134,794.71
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.76
|
?? | |
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of transportation
pay 2.3 times more for housing
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥78.70
|
$62.37
MWK108,156.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,146.80
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,377.56
|
$67.61
MWK117,250.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥288.99
|
$34.63
MWK60,050.27
|
|
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of housing
pay 47.5% less for childcare
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,747.78
|
$350.00
MWK606,960.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,091.78
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,074,415.44
|
|
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of childcare
pay 4.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.33
|
$1.73
MWK3,007.43
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥19.97
|
$3.04
MWK5,273.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.65
|
$1.59
MWK2,751.33
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥289.59
|
$37.45
MWK64,944.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.13
|
$3.95
MWK6,850.95
|
|
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
China
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥323.38
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥217.79
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥501.74
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥513.16
|
?? |
China vs. Lilongwe - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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