Cost of living comparison
Arkansas is 2.3 times more expensive than Malawi.
If you lived in Arkansas instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 3.3 times more for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.42
MWK3,708.33
|
$13.89
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.89
MWK5,297.61
|
$8.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.76
MWK827.75
|
$1.98
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.35
MWK379.66
|
$1.68
|
|
pay 95.0% more for groceries
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.68
MWK741.67
|
$2.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.09
MWK7,681.53
|
$5.13
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.28
MWK3,550.49
|
$3.65
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.44
MWK1,556.08
|
$3.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.02
MWK1,099.65
|
$3.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.95
MWK1,030.42
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.50
MWK543.82
|
$0.66
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.08
MWK1,169.44
|
$1.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
MWK692.43
|
$1.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.73
MWK795.70
|
$0.82
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.70
MWK762.51
|
$0.98
|
|
pay 10.6% more for transportation
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.57
MWK4,953.91
|
$2.97
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$44.84
MWK48,579.06
|
$35.47
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,894.87
MWK29,136,839.72
|
$24,872.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.41
MWK6,939.87
|
$13.20
|
|
pay 3.2 times more for housing
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$136.92
MWK148,333.00
|
$66.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$291.36
MWK315,649.10
|
$884.30
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$135.70
MWK147,008.60
|
$721.79
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$35.40
MWK38,350.52
|
$140.05
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$268.95
MWK291,368.40
|
$887.22
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,291.77
MWK6,816,254.63
|
$10,052.22
|
|
pay 2.9 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.78
MWK847.62
|
$4.69
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.46
MWK2,662.93
|
$4.29
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.93
MWK3,178.56
|
$7.03
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$22.98
MWK24,898.75
|
$41.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.04
MWK4,372.09
|
$10.86
|
|
pay 27.0% more for clothing
|
Malawi
|
Arkansas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.71
MWK46,265.77
|
$45.74
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.43
MWK27,547.56
|
$38.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$62.59
MWK67,809.37
|
$79.04
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$80.68
MWK87,410.52
|
$101.11
|
|
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