Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 2.2 times more expensive than Dhaka.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Dhaka, you would:
pay 90.2% more for restaurants
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.90
BDT208.84
|
$3.42
MWK5,934.51
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.76
BDT522.09
|
$4.89
MWK8,477.87
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.32
BDT34.74
|
$0.81
MWK1,398.85
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.16
BDT17.22
|
$0.35
MWK607.58
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.71
BDT77.50
|
$0.68
MWK1,186.90
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.72
BDT408.42
|
$7.09
MWK12,292.91
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.20
BDT351.02
|
$3.28
MWK5,681.92
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.33
BDT145.77
|
$1.67
MWK2,889.26
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.35
BDT148.39
|
$1.02
MWK1,759.79
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.12
BDT122.95
|
$0.95
MWK1,649.00
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.46
BDT50.60
|
$0.50
MWK870.28
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.00
BDT109.79
|
$1.08
MWK1,871.48
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.38
BDT41.81
|
$0.72
MWK1,254.83
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.13
BDT14.45
|
$1.04
MWK1,803.29
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.21
BDT22.95
|
$0.76
MWK1,312.52
|
|
pay 55.8% more for transportation
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.31
BDT472.97
|
$4.57
MWK7,927.85
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$19.03
BDT2,088.38
|
$44.84
MWK77,742.05
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,294.05
BDT3,654,663.96
|
$26,894.87
MWK46,628,271.77
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.00
BDT438.56
|
$8.02
MWK13,903.70
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for housing
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$20.17
BDT2,213.68
|
$136.92
MWK237,380.29
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$143.11
BDT15,709.37
|
$354.52
MWK614,645.40
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$87.30
BDT9,583.34
|
$163.81
MWK284,008.56
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$29.26
BDT3,211.42
|
$40.88
MWK70,881.62
|
|
pay 3.9 times more for childcare
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$62.55
BDT6,865.55
|
$231.46
MWK401,285.73
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,551.21
BDT170,274.93
|
$6,291.77
MWK10,908,189.64
|
|
pay 6.1% more for entertainment and sports
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.71
BDT626.51
|
$0.78
MWK1,356.46
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.92
BDT210.58
|
$2.66
MWK4,606.31
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.04
BDT334.14
|
$2.93
MWK5,086.72
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$18.59
BDT2,040.93
|
$36.19
MWK62,736.22
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.76
BDT522.09
|
$4.16
MWK7,211.18
|
|
pay 66.9% more for clothing
Dhaka
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$21.40
BDT2,349.43
|
$42.38
MWK73,474.85
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.74
BDT2,495.67
|
$25.43
MWK44,084.91
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$48.51
BDT5,325.37
|
$69.76
MWK120,950.91
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$40.38
BDT4,432.82
|
$86.39
MWK149,775.66
|
|
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