Cost of living comparison
Marshall Islands vs. Malawi Cost of Living Summary
Marshall Islands is 2.3 times more expensive than Malawi overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 85.8% more in Marshall Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 3.1 times more in Marshall Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 8.2% less in Marshall Islands
- Housing
-
pay 4.3 times more in Marshall Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 34.2% more in Marshall Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 53.8% more in Marshall Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 8.3% less in Marshall Islands
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and childcare in Marshall Islands are more expensive than in Malawi. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Marshall Islands. Notably, housing, groceries, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Marshall Islands.
Marshall Islands vs. Malawi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Malawi, you would:
pay 85.8% more for restaurants
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.50
MWK7,814.70
|
$10.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.57
MWK14,880.81
|
$10.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.06
MWK1,845.41
|
$1.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.52
MWK902.91
|
$2.00
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for groceries
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.58
MWK2,738.49
|
$3.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.83
MWK8,388.22
|
$15.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.31
MWK7,492.69
|
$8.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.31
MWK4,003.47
|
$5.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.46
MWK4,278.75
|
$4.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.09
MWK1,884.46
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
MWK1,411.72
|
$3.29
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
MWK1,557.11
|
$3.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
MWK1,319.77
|
$5.79
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
MWK1,319.61
|
$2.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
MWK920.74
|
$2.49
|
|
pay 8.2% less for transportation
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.95
MWK10,334.67
|
$6.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.32
MWK7,505.49
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,205.31
MWK61M
|
$25,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.75
MWK22,137.83
|
?? | |
pay 4.3 times more for housing
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.21
MWK106K
|
$80.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$384.08
MWK667K
|
$775.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$99.97
MWK174K
|
$875.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$27.53
MWK47,807.03
|
$191.13
|
|
pay 34.2% more for childcare
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$370.40
MWK643K
|
$150.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$593.71
MWK1M
|
$2,640.00
|
|
pay 53.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.64
MWK2,846.35
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.97
MWK5,154.08
|
$4.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.40
MWK4,173.70
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.11
MWK78,336.01
|
$37.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? | ?? | |
pay 8.3% less for clothing
|
Malawi
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.37
MWK75,316.66
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.87
MWK69,239.08
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$48.90
MWK84,923.42
|
$30.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$70.38
MWK122K
|
$50.00
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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