Cost of living comparison

Malawi

compared to

Cuba

Cuba vs. Malawi Cost of Living Summary

Cuba is 19.3% more expensive than Malawi overall.

Restaurants: pay 15.1% less in Cuba
Groceries: pay 45.8% more in Cuba
Transportation: pay 53.3% more in Cuba
Housing: pay 22.2% more in Cuba
Childcare: pay 88.8% more in Cuba
Entertainment and Sports: pay 44.1% less in Cuba
Clothing: pay 3.0% less in Cuba

The cost of childcare, transportation, groceries, and housing in Cuba are more expensive than in Malawi. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Cuba. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Cuba.

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Cuba vs. Malawi Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Cuba instead of Malawi, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 15.1% less for restaurants

	Malawi	Cuba
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.50 MWK7,818.77	$3.71 CUC3.71	-17.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.57 MWK14,888.54	$5.00 CUC5.00	-41.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.06 MWK1,846.37	$1.70 CUC1.70	+60.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.52 MWK903.38	$1.00 CUC1.00	+92.3%
Average			-15.1%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of restaurants

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pay 45.8% more for groceries

	Malawi	Cuba
Bread 1 loaf	$1.58 MWK2,739.91	$1.49 CUC1.49	-5.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.83 MWK8,392.58	$2.22 CUC2.22	-54.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.31 MWK7,496.58	$14.20 CUC14.20	+229.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.31 MWK4,005.55	$3.71 CUC3.71	+61.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.46 MWK4,280.98	$2.07 CUC2.07	-16.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.09 MWK1,885.44	$2.75 CUC2.75	+153.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.81 MWK1,412.45	$0.48 CUC0.48	-40.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.90 MWK1,557.92	$1.79 CUC1.79	+99.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.76 MWK1,320.46	$1.04 CUC1.04	+37.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.76 MWK1,320.30	$1.73 CUC1.73	+127.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.53 MWK921.22	$1.85 CUC1.85	+248.8%
Average			+45.8%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of groceries

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pay 53.3% more for transportation

	Malawi	Cuba
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.95 MWK10,340.04	$4.83 CUC4.83	-18.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$4.32 MWK7,509.39	$22.50 CUC22.50	+420.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,205.31 MWK61M	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	+70.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$12.75 MWK22,149.34	$6.20 CUC6.20	-51.4%
Average			+53.3%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of transportation

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pay 22.2% more for housing

	Malawi	Cuba
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$61.21 MWK106K	$90.21 CUC90.21	+47.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$384.08 MWK667K	$254.03 CUC254.03	-33.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$99.97 MWK174K	$214.40 CUC214.40	+114.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$27.53 MWK47,831.88	$36.20 CUC36.20	+31.5%
Average			+22.2%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of housing

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pay 88.8% more for childcare

	Malawi	Cuba
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$370.40 MWK644K	$112.00 CUC112.00	-69.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$593.71 MWK1M	$7,000.00 CUC7,000.00	+1079.0%
Average			+88.8%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of childcare

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pay 44.1% less for entertainment and sports

	Malawi	Cuba
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.64 MWK2,847.83	$1.60 CUC1.60	-2.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.97 MWK5,156.76	$1.11 CUC1.11	-62.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.40 MWK4,175.86	$2.00 CUC2.00	-16.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$45.11 MWK78,376.72	$19.00 CUC19.00	-57.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	??	$0.85 CUC0.85
Average			-44.1%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.0% less for clothing

	Malawi	Cuba
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.37 MWK75,355.80	$37.00 CUC37.00	-14.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$39.87 MWK69,275.06	$37.00 CUC37.00	-7.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$48.90 MWK84,967.55	$68.67 CUC68.67	+40.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$70.38 MWK122K	$56.00 CUC56.00	-20.4%
Average			-3.0%

Malawi vs. Cuba - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Malawi vs. Cuba

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Cuba?

Quality of Life Comparison · 22 statistics

Be 6.4 times more likely to have access to electricity in Cuba

Size Comparison · See true size

Malawi is around the same size as Cuba.

Moving from Malawi to Cuba · Cost, visas & climate

Compare cost of living, salary and climate.

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