Cost of living comparison
Sofia is 2.5 times more expensive than Lilongwe.
If you lived in Sofia instead of Lilongwe, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.46
MWK5,993.23
|
$11.07
BGN20.07
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
?? |
$8.30
BGN15.05
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
MWK1,585.04
|
$1.35
BGN2.44
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
MWK588.89
|
$0.84
BGN1.52
|
|
pay 20.0% more for groceries
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
MWK2,448.12
|
$1.07
BGN1.95
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.88
MWK13,649.53
|
$5.00
BGN9.06
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.24
MWK9,069.47
|
$6.57
BGN11.91
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
MWK5,292.36
|
$3.48
BGN6.30
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.30
MWK2,243.34
|
$3.46
BGN6.27
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
MWK1,845.17
|
$0.73
BGN1.33
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,026.27
|
$0.82
BGN1.49
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.80
BGN1.45
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.60
|
$1.07
BGN1.93
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
MWK1,449.18
|
$0.49
BGN0.89
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
MWK976.47
|
$0.56
BGN1.01
|
|
pay 3.7 times more for transportation
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.43
MWK11,133.79
|
$5.81
BGN10.53
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,486.95
|
$27.68
BGN50.18
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$27,677.83
BGN50,175.92
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$7.14
BGN12.95
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for housing
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.37
MWK108,040.15
|
$13.00
BGN23.56
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | ?? |
$546.64
BGN990.97
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$67.61
MWK117,124.11
|
$407.37
BGN738.51
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$53.53
MWK92,729.59
|
$104.32
BGN189.12
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for childcare
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$508.23
BGN921.36
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,349.49
MWK4,070,040.68
|
$7,673.93
BGN13,911.74
|
|
pay 52.0% more for entertainment and sports
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.08
MWK1,871.21
|
$2.10
BGN3.81
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.21
MWK5,559.06
|
$2.06
BGN3.73
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.59
MWK2,748.38
|
$3.32
BGN6.02
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.05
MWK76,313.26
|
$36.02
BGN65.30
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,843.60
|
$8.30
BGN15.05
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
Lilongwe
|
Sofia
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$72.32
BGN131.11
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$32.26
BGN58.49
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$99.80
BGN180.93
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$94.08
BGN170.55
|
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