Cost of living comparison

compared to

Malawi vs. Cuba Cost of Living Summary

Malawi is 23.9% more expensive than Cuba overall.

Restaurants: pay 4.3% less in Malawi
Groceries: pay 21.5% less in Malawi
Transportation: pay 27.0% more in Malawi
Housing: pay 16.7% more in Malawi
Childcare: pay 66.8% more in Malawi
Entertainment and Sports: pay 85.8% more in Malawi
Clothing: pay 3.2% less in Malawi

The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, and housing in Malawi are more expensive than in Cuba. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Malawi. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Malawi.

Malawi vs. Cuba Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Malawi instead of Cuba, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 4.3% less for restaurants

	Cuba	Malawi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.40 CUC4.40	$4.94 MWK8,559.86	+12.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.00 CUC5.00	$9.59 MWK16,625.22	+91.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.08 CUC2.08	$0.88 MWK1,523.30	-57.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.25 CUC1.25	$0.45 MWK788.82	-63.6%
Average			-4.3%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of restaurants

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pay 21.5% less for groceries

	Cuba	Malawi
Bread 1 loaf	$1.22 CUC1.22	$1.25 MWK2,173.99	+3.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.89 CUC2.89	$4.83 MWK8,375.64	+67.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$10.68 CUC10.68	$3.70 MWK6,421.01	-65.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.15 CUC4.15	$2.18 MWK3,782.37	-47.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.49 CUC2.49	$2.00 MWK3,463.78	-19.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.27 CUC2.27	$1.09 MWK1,881.64	-52.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.59 CUC0.59	$0.81 MWK1,409.60	+37.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.36 CUC1.36	$0.90 MWK1,554.77	-34.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.00 CUC1.00	$0.59 MWK1,030.46	-40.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.95 CUC0.95	$0.61 MWK1,060.98	-35.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.17 CUC1.17	$0.59 MWK1,014.81	-50.0%
Average			-21.5%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of groceries

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pay 27.0% more for transportation

	Cuba	Malawi
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.77 CUC4.77	$6.04 MWK10,468.08	+26.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$25.00 CUC25.00	$4.32 MWK7,494.24	-82.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	$35,205.31 MWK61,045,878.62	-41.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.60 CUC6.60	$20.15 MWK34,943.87	+205.3%
Average			+27.0%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of transportation

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pay 16.7% more for housing

	Cuba	Malawi
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$75.00 CUC75.00	$184.06 MWK319,155.40	+145.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$251.37 CUC251.37	$201.16 MWK348,818.64	-20.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$322.73 CUC322.73	$79.07 MWK137,101.90	-75.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$27.15 CUC27.15	$31.77 MWK55,095.53	+17.0%
Average			+16.7%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of housing

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pay 66.8% more for childcare

	Cuba	Malawi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$112.00 CUC112.00	$354.19 MWK614,162.67	+216.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,500.00 CUC8,500.00	$1,471.60 MWK2,551,744.52	-82.7%
Average			+66.8%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of childcare

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pay 85.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Cuba	Malawi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.00 CUC2.00	$1.48 MWK2,563.89	-26.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.01 CUC1.01	$2.85 MWK4,942.54	+182.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.00 CUC4.00	$1.98 MWK3,434.50	-50.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$37.75 CUC37.75	$48.41 MWK83,943.35	+28.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$1.00 CUC1.00	$3.95 MWK6,850.26	+295.1%
Average			+85.8%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.2% less for clothing

	Cuba	Malawi
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$34.75 CUC34.75	$44.72 MWK77,536.37	+28.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.75 CUC37.75	$34.73 MWK60,227.91	-8.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.00 CUC75.00	$58.69 MWK101,773.52	-21.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$80.00 CUC80.00	$70.38 MWK122,044.96	-12.0%
Average			-3.2%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of clothing

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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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