Cost of living comparison
Lusaka is 2.1 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lusaka instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 29.3% more for restaurants
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,993.23
|
$5.15
ZMW140.97
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$3.43
ZMW93.92
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,585.04
|
$0.98
ZMW26.72
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.89
|
$0.45
ZMW12.27
|
|
pay 2.9% less for groceries
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,448.12
|
$0.80
ZMW21.93
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,649.53
|
$3.95
ZMW107.94
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,069.47
|
$4.90
ZMW133.97
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,292.36
|
$2.42
ZMW66.06
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,243.34
|
$1.79
ZMW48.85
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,845.17
|
$1.13
ZMW30.90
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,026.27
|
$0.71
ZMW19.43
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$1.21
ZMW33.02
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.60
|
$0.62
ZMW17.00
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,449.18
|
$0.73
ZMW20.04
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.47
|
$0.73
ZMW20.07
|
|
pay 4.7 times more for transportation
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,133.79
|
$5.05
ZMW138.14
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,486.95
|
$37.04
ZMW1,012.91
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$8,004.53
ZMW218,919.81
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$12.13
ZMW331.74
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for housing
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,040.15
|
$144.44
ZMW3,950.34
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$262.56
ZMW7,180.97
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,124.11
|
$159.59
ZMW4,364.66
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,729.59
|
$83.50
ZMW2,283.73
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$111.30
ZMW3,044.12
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,070,040.68
|
$5,884.51
ZMW160,938.36
|
|
pay 0.7% less for entertainment and sports
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,871.21
|
$1.02
ZMW28.01
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,559.06
|
$2.19
ZMW60.02
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,748.38
|
$2.57
ZMW70.37
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,313.26
|
$40.66
ZMW1,111.91
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,843.60
|
$3.12
ZMW85.22
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
Lilongwe
|
Lusaka
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$24.53
ZMW670.86
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$26.26
ZMW718.15
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$90.18
ZMW2,466.28
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$87.89
ZMW2,403.82
|
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