Cost of living comparison

Cuba

compared to

Malawi

Malawi vs. Cuba Cost of Living Summary

Malawi is 16.2% cheaper than Cuba overall.

Restaurants: pay 17.8% more in Malawi
Groceries: pay 31.4% less in Malawi
Transportation: pay 34.8% less in Malawi
Housing: pay 18.2% less in Malawi
Childcare: pay 47.0% less in Malawi
Entertainment and Sports: pay 78.8% more in Malawi
Clothing: pay 3.1% more in Malawi

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

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Malawi vs. Cuba Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 17.8% more for restaurants

	Cuba	Malawi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.71 CUC3.71	$4.50 MWK7,818.77	+21.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.00 CUC5.00	$8.57 MWK14,888.54	+71.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.70 CUC1.70	$1.06 MWK1,846.37	-37.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.00 CUC1.00	$0.52 MWK903.38	-48.0%
Average			+17.8%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of restaurants

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pay 31.4% less for groceries

	Cuba	Malawi
Bread 1 loaf	$1.49 CUC1.49	$1.58 MWK2,739.91	+5.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.22 CUC2.22	$4.83 MWK8,392.58	+117.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$14.20 CUC14.20	$4.31 MWK7,496.58	-69.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.71 CUC3.71	$2.31 MWK4,005.55	-37.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.07 CUC2.07	$2.46 MWK4,280.98	+19.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.75 CUC2.75	$1.09 MWK1,885.44	-60.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.48 CUC0.48	$0.81 MWK1,412.45	+68.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.79 CUC1.79	$0.90 MWK1,557.92	-49.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.04 CUC1.04	$0.76 MWK1,320.46	-27.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.73 CUC1.73	$0.76 MWK1,320.30	-56.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.85 CUC1.85	$0.53 MWK921.22	-71.3%
Average			-31.4%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of groceries

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pay 34.8% less for transportation

	Cuba	Malawi
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.83 CUC4.83	$5.95 MWK10,340.04	+23.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$22.50 CUC22.50	$4.32 MWK7,509.39	-80.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	$35,205.31 MWK61M	-41.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.20 CUC6.20	$12.75 MWK22,149.34	+105.6%
Average			-34.8%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of transportation

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pay 18.2% less for housing

	Cuba	Malawi
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$90.21 CUC90.21	$61.21 MWK106K	-32.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$254.03 CUC254.03	$384.08 MWK667K	+51.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$214.40 CUC214.40	$99.97 MWK174K	-53.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$36.20 CUC36.20	$27.53 MWK47,831.88	-23.9%
Average			-18.2%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of housing

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pay 47.0% less for childcare

	Cuba	Malawi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$112.00 CUC112.00	$370.40 MWK644K	+230.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,000.00 CUC7,000.00	$593.71 MWK1M	-91.5%
Average			-47.0%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of childcare

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pay 78.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Cuba	Malawi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.60 CUC1.60	$1.64 MWK2,847.83	+2.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.11 CUC1.11	$2.97 MWK5,156.76	+167.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.00 CUC2.00	$2.40 MWK4,175.86	+20.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$19.00 CUC19.00	$45.11 MWK78,376.72	+137.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$0.85 CUC0.85	??
Average			+78.8%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.1% more for clothing

	Cuba	Malawi
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$37.00 CUC37.00	$43.37 MWK75,355.80	+17.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.00 CUC37.00	$39.87 MWK69,275.06	+7.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$68.67 CUC68.67	$48.90 MWK84,967.55	-28.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$56.00 CUC56.00	$70.38 MWK122K	+25.7%
Average			+3.1%

Cuba vs. Malawi - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cuba vs. Malawi

Salary Calculator · Free tool

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Quality of Life Comparison · 22 statistics

Be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed in Malawi

Size Comparison · See true size

Cuba is around the same size as Malawi.

Moving from Cuba to Malawi · Cost, visas & climate

Compare cost of living, salary and climate.

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