Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 6.8% more expensive than Nairobi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.8% less in Lilongwe
- Groceries
-
pay 37.9% more in Lilongwe
- Transportation
-
pay 41.0% less in Lilongwe
- Housing
-
pay 46.0% more in Lilongwe
- Childcare
-
pay 19.6% more in Lilongwe
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 18.9% less in Lilongwe
The cost of housing, groceries, and childcare in Lilongwe are more expensive than in Nairobi. Expenses including transportation, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Lilongwe.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Nairobi, you would:
pay 2.8% less for restaurants
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.85
KES497.08
|
$3.46
MWK5,984.27
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.17
KES795.33
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.66
KES85.49
|
$0.91
MWK1,582.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.53
KES68.69
|
$0.34
MWK588.01
|
|
pay 37.9% more for groceries
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.56
KES72.00
|
$1.41
MWK2,444.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.59
KES721.09
|
$7.88
MWK13,629.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.35
KES432.35
|
$5.24
MWK9,055.91
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
KES219.65
|
$3.06
MWK5,284.44
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.71
KES349.53
|
$1.30
MWK2,239.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.26
KES163.02
|
$1.07
MWK1,842.41
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.50
KES64.45
|
$0.59
MWK1,024.73
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
KES112.71
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.46
KES58.97
|
$0.56
MWK975.14
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
KES62.24
|
$0.84
MWK1,447.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.56
KES71.76
|
$0.56
MWK975.01
|
|
pay 41.0% less for transportation
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.17
KES796.50
|
$6.43
MWK11,117.13
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.83
KES3,976.67
|
$4.32
MWK7,475.76
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,266.80
KES2,485,417.29
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.87
KES1,789.50
|
?? | |
pay 46.0% more for housing
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.39
KES5,081.66
|
$62.37
MWK107,878.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$428.53
KES55,280.12
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$166.44
KES21,470.18
|
$67.61
MWK116,948.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$22.39
KES2,888.63
|
$53.53
MWK92,590.89
|
|
pay 19.6% more for childcare
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$166.67
KES21,501.04
|
$350.00
MWK605,401.98
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,008.06
KES1,033,039.32
|
$2,349.49
MWK4,063,952.89
|
|
pay 18.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.31
KES298.25
|
$1.08
MWK1,868.41
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.24
KES289.07
|
$3.21
MWK5,550.74
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.08
KES397.67
|
$1.59
MWK2,744.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.12
KES5,691.10
|
$44.05
MWK76,199.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.17
KES795.33
|
$3.95
MWK6,833.36
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Nairobi
|
Lilongwe
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$16.84
KES2,172.73
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.95
KES2,960.41
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$61.84
KES7,977.01
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$52.50
KES6,772.72
|
?? |
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