Cost of living comparison
Alabama is 2.4 times more expensive than Malawi.
If you lived in Alabama instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 3.4 times more for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.94
MWK3,020.01
|
$12.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.90
MWK5,033.34
|
$7.61
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.62
MWK633.36
|
$1.91
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
MWK335.56
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.52
MWK531.53
|
$2.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.11
MWK7,298.35
|
$4.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.74
MWK2,810.36
|
$3.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.14
MWK1,170.76
|
$2.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.31
MWK1,347.02
|
$3.48
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.09
MWK1,115.86
|
$2.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.61
MWK627.85
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.04
MWK1,069.25
|
$1.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
MWK722.98
|
$1.75
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK601.21
|
$1.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.64
MWK658.29
|
$1.10
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for transportation
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.44
MWK3,530.10
|
$4.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$44.97
MWK46,155.75
|
$200.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,974.01
MWK27,683,383.51
|
$23,974.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.42
MWK6,593.68
|
$15.38
|
|
pay 2.9 times more for housing
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$156.94
MWK161,066.96
|
$59.91
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$325.24
MWK333,792.42
|
$1,088.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$161.55
MWK165,797.05
|
$758.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$40.66
MWK41,728.46
|
$132.13
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$243.53
MWK249,932.03
|
$640.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,642.39
MWK7,843,370.26
|
$13,351.36
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.78
MWK805.33
|
$4.63
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.13
MWK2,187.41
|
$4.40
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.94
MWK3,020.01
|
$6.64
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.11
MWK32,955.50
|
$29.52
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.46
MWK4,577.76
|
$10.85
|
|
pay 16.1% more for clothing
|
Malawi
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.05
MWK49,309.56
|
$41.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$23.79
MWK24,411.71
|
$33.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$66.29
MWK68,037.04
|
$73.04
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$73.75
MWK75,691.15
|
$93.59
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Alabama. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.