Cost of living comparison
compared to
Blantyre vs. Malawi Cost of Living Summary
Blantyre is 0.8% cheaper than Malawi overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.5% less in Blantyre
- Groceries
-
pay 2.3% less in Blantyre
- Transportation
-
pay 1.0% less in Blantyre
- Housing
-
pay 23.9% more in Blantyre
- Childcare
-
pay 29.2% less in Blantyre
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.6% more in Blantyre
The cost of housing and entertainment and sports in Blantyre are more expensive than in Malawi. Expenses including childcare, groceries, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Blantyre.
Blantyre vs. Malawi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Blantyre instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 0.5% less for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.94
MWK8,560.73
|
$4.87
MWK8,450.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.59
MWK16,626.92
|
$8.93
MWK15,478.56
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
MWK1,523.45
|
$0.82
MWK1,423.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.45
MWK788.90
|
$0.51
MWK889.00
|
|
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.3% less for groceries
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.25
MWK2,174.21
|
$1.28
MWK2,225.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.83
MWK8,376.49
|
$1.78
MWK3,088.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.70
MWK6,421.66
|
$3.70
MWK6,420.31
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.18
MWK3,782.75
|
$1.71
MWK2,961.13
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.00
MWK3,464.14
|
$2.55
MWK4,420.32
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.09
MWK1,881.83
|
$1.00
MWK1,740.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
MWK1,409.75
|
$1.06
MWK1,841.40
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
MWK1,554.93
|
$1.11
MWK1,929.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,030.57
|
$0.49
MWK851.64
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.61
MWK1,061.08
|
$0.60
MWK1,043.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
MWK1,014.91
|
$0.61
MWK1,052.30
|
|
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of groceries
pay 1.0% less for transportation
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.04
MWK10,469.15
|
$5.98
MWK10,369.26
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,495.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,205.31
MWK61,052,096.30
|
$35,205.31
MWK61,052,096.30
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.15
MWK34,947.42
|
$20.15
MWK34,947.42
|
|
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of transportation
pay 23.9% more for housing
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$184.06
MWK319,187.91
|
$305.75
MWK530,219.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$201.16
MWK348,854.16
|
$201.16
MWK348,854.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$79.07
MWK137,115.86
|
$90.52
MWK156,981.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$31.77
MWK55,101.15
|
$28.92
MWK50,152.02
|
|
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of housing
pay 29.2% less for childcare
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$354.19
MWK614,225.22
|
$358.38
MWK621,489.87
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,471.60
MWK2,552,004.42
|
$593.71
MWK1,029,593.41
|
|
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of childcare
pay 4.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.48
MWK2,564.15
|
$1.22
MWK2,120.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.85
MWK4,943.04
|
$2.66
MWK4,612.16
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.98
MWK3,434.85
|
$2.37
MWK4,118.37
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.41
MWK83,951.90
|
$59.37
MWK102,959.34
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.95
MWK6,850.95
|
?? | |
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Malawi
|
Blantyre
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.72
MWK77,544.27
|
$44.72
MWK77,544.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.73
MWK60,234.04
|
$34.73
MWK60,234.04
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$58.69
MWK101,783.88
|
$58.69
MWK101,783.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$70.38
MWK122,057.39
|
$70.38
MWK122,057.39
|
Malawi vs. Blantyre - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Blantyre or Malawi. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.