Cost of living comparison

compared to

Malawi vs. Philippines Cost of Living Summary

Malawi is 0.5% cheaper than Philippines overall.

Restaurants
pay 64.9% more in Malawi
Transportation
pay 16.0% more in Malawi
Housing
pay 17.7% less in Malawi
Childcare
pay 56.6% less in Malawi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 32.3% more in Malawi
Clothing
pay 15.3% more in Malawi

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

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Malawi vs. Philippines Cost Breakdown

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

pay 64.9% more for restaurants

 
Philippines
Malawi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $3.66
₱230.42
$4.50
MWK7,814.70
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $3.23
₱203.25
$8.57
MWK14,880.81
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.73
₱45.74
$1.06
MWK1,845.41
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pay about the same for groceries

 
Philippines
Malawi
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.15
₱72.70
$1.58
MWK2,738.49
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.30
₱208.05
$4.83
MWK8,388.22
Milk (1 gallon) $6.50
₱409.51
$4.31
MWK7,492.69
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pay 16.0% more for transportation

 
Philippines
Malawi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.37
₱275.11
$5.95
MWK10,334.67
Monthly public transit pass $12.98
₱817.46
$4.32
MWK7,505.49
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,989.85
₱1M
$35,205.31
MWK61M
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pay 17.7% less for housing

 
Philippines
Malawi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $25.62
₱1,613.68
$61.21
MWK106K
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $267.48
₱16,849.92
$384.08
MWK667K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $170.01
₱10,709.57
$99.97
MWK174K
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pay 56.6% less for childcare

 
Philippines
Malawi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $162.60
₱10,243.03
$370.40
MWK643K
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,174.58
₱452K
$593.71
MWK1M
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pay 32.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Philippines
Malawi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.24
₱78.00
$1.64
MWK2,846.35
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.15
₱135.51
$2.97
MWK5,154.08
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $2.72
₱171.21
$2.40
MWK4,173.70
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pay 15.3% more for clothing

 
Philippines
Malawi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $37.72
₱2,376.14
$43.37
MWK75,316.66
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $22.70
₱1,430.17
$39.87
MWK69,239.08
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $68.85
₱4,337.27
$48.90
MWK84,923.42
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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 October 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: Philippines vs. Malawi

Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Malawi?
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Quality of Life Comparison · 24 statistics
Be 4.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line in Malawi
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Size Comparison · See true size
Philippines is about 2.5 times bigger than Malawi.
→
Moving from Philippines to Malawi · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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