Cost of living comparison

compared to

Malawi vs. Nigeria Cost of Living Summary

Malawi is 4.8% more expensive than Nigeria overall.

Restaurants
pay 94.8% more in Malawi
Groceries
pay 25.5% more in Malawi
Transportation
pay 19.6% more in Malawi
Housing
pay 36.3% less in Malawi
Childcare
pay 50.5% less in Malawi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 95.1% more in Malawi
Clothing
pay 98.0% more in Malawi

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

Share
Planning a move to Malawi? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Malawi vs. Nigeria Cost Breakdown

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

pay 94.8% more for restaurants

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.19
NGN2,908.76
$4.50
MWK7,814.70
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $5.09
NGN6,780.76
$8.57
MWK14,880.81
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.36
NGN473.34
$1.06
MWK1,845.41
Improve prices ·

pay 25.5% more for groceries

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Bread
1 loaf
 $0.95
NGN1,262.10
$1.58
MWK2,738.49
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.24
NGN2,979.24
$4.83
MWK8,388.22
Milk (1 gallon) $9.26
NGN12,329.33
$4.31
MWK7,492.69
Improve prices ·

pay 19.6% more for transportation

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.41
NGN3,205.09
$5.95
MWK10,334.67
Monthly public transit pass $21.22
NGN28,254.69
$4.32
MWK7,505.49
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,156.84
NGN24M
$35,205.31
MWK61M
Improve prices ·

pay 36.3% less for housing

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $18.12
NGN24,120.18
$61.21
MWK106K
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $372.59
NGN496K
$384.08
MWK667K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $284.75
NGN379K
$99.97
MWK174K
Improve prices ·

pay 50.5% less for childcare

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $219.45
NGN292K
$370.40
MWK643K
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,089.03
NGN5M
$593.71
MWK1M
Improve prices ·

pay 95.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.74
NGN982.05
$1.64
MWK2,846.35
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.31
NGN3,070.30
$2.97
MWK5,154.08
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $1.13
NGN1,506.57
$2.40
MWK4,173.70
Improve prices ·

pay 98.0% more for clothing

 
Nigeria
Malawi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $13.41
NGN17,851.33
$43.37
MWK75,316.66
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $20.94
NGN27,874.19
$39.87
MWK69,239.08
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $34.35
NGN45,733.44
$48.90
MWK84,923.42
Improve prices ·

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

Change currency:

Compare further: Nigeria vs. Malawi

Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Malawi?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 22 statistics
Be 74.5% less likely to have access to electricity in Malawi
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Nigeria is about 8 times bigger than Malawi.
→
Moving from Nigeria to Malawi · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Abuja vs. Lilongwe

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
Add prices for Malawi

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malawi or Nigeria. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.