Cost of living comparison
China is 14.8% more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in China instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 30.2% less for restaurants
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.00
MWK3,578.20
|
$3.40
CN¥23.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.25
MWK4,472.75
|
$5.44
CN¥36.89
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.96
MWK684.33
|
$0.52
CN¥3.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.46
MWK330.98
|
$0.32
CN¥2.20
|
|
pay 4.2% more for groceries
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.60
MWK430.06
|
$1.82
CN¥12.31
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.06
MWK6,485.49
|
$6.98
CN¥47.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.02
MWK2,878.30
|
$7.82
CN¥53.01
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.72
MWK1,234.48
|
$1.89
CN¥12.81
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.67
MWK1,197.00
|
$2.01
CN¥13.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.50
MWK1,070.20
|
$0.90
CN¥6.12
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.85
MWK608.64
|
$0.61
CN¥4.14
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.38
MWK987.35
|
$0.86
CN¥5.86
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
MWK676.27
|
$0.62
CN¥4.22
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
MWK784.47
|
$0.42
CN¥2.88
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
MWK743.90
|
$0.45
CN¥3.07
|
|
pay 40.6% less for transportation
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.19
MWK2,999.72
|
$4.16
CN¥28.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$57.31
MWK41,015.11
|
$17.84
CN¥120.98
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,374.51
MWK24,600,119.39
|
$22,106.75
CN¥149,936.81
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.25
MWK7,335.31
|
$4.39
CN¥29.79
|
|
pay 34.9% less for housing
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$200.00
MWK143,127.97
|
$14.92
CN¥101.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$458.33
MWK328,002.44
|
$404.30
CN¥2,742.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$317.50
MWK227,215.65
|
$256.14
CN¥1,737.27
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$52.57
MWK37,623.71
|
$44.04
CN¥298.70
|
|
pay 53.5% more for childcare
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$295.83
MWK211,710.12
|
$443.85
CN¥3,010.34
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,562.35
MWK7,558,945.78
|
$16,577.11
CN¥112,432.56
|
|
pay 18.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.00
MWK715.64
|
$1.06
CN¥7.17
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.37
MWK1,699.65
|
$3.94
CN¥26.72
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.75
MWK2,683.65
|
$3.36
CN¥22.76
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.75
MWK31,309.24
|
$42.42
CN¥287.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
MWK3,578.25
|
$6.74
CN¥45.72
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for clothing
|
Lilongwe
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.17
MWK38,763.82
|
$66.87
CN¥453.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$6.25
MWK4,472.75
|
$38.65
CN¥262.17
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.17
MWK63,811.22
|
$95.94
CN¥650.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.42
MWK79,018.57
|
$90.79
CN¥615.77
|
|
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