Cost of living comparison
Lilongwe is 12.5% more expensive than Vientiane.
If you lived in Lilongwe instead of Vientiane, you would:
pay 5.2% less for restaurants
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.00
LAK63,810
|
$3.42
MWK5,918.21
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.00
LAK106,350
|
$4.89
MWK8,454.58
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.92
LAK19,534
|
$0.81
MWK1,395.01
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
LAK9,386
|
$0.35
MWK605.91
|
|
pay 39.2% less for groceries
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.93
LAK41,050
|
$0.68
MWK1,183.64
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.94
LAK126,446
|
$7.09
MWK12,259.15
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$10.37
LAK220,554
|
$3.28
MWK5,666.31
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.08
LAK44,148
|
$1.67
MWK2,881.32
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.37
LAK50,407
|
$1.02
MWK1,754.96
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.02
LAK43,016
|
$0.95
MWK1,644.47
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.52
LAK11,024
|
$0.50
MWK867.89
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.57
LAK33,457
|
$1.08
MWK1,866.34
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.25
LAK47,796
|
$0.72
MWK1,251.39
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.57
LAK33,457
|
$1.04
MWK1,798.34
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.57
LAK33,457
|
$0.76
MWK1,308.91
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for transportation
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.24
LAK111,489
|
$4.57
MWK7,906.08
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$5.94
LAK126,446
|
$44.84
MWK77,528.53
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$59,448.31
LAK1,264,460,507
|
$26,894.87
MWK46,500,210.98
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.89
LAK295,432
|
$8.02
MWK13,865.52
|
|
pay 36.5% less for housing
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$168.24
LAK3,578,413
|
$136.92
MWK236,728.35
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$499.61
LAK10,626,643
|
$354.52
MWK612,957.33
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$274.31
LAK5,834,620
|
$163.81
MWK283,228.56
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$97.98
LAK2,083,982
|
$40.88
MWK70,686.95
|
|
pay 40.1% more for childcare
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$231.46
MWK400,183.63
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,490.81
LAK95,519,044
|
$6,291.77
MWK10,878,231.17
|
|
pay 5.8% more for entertainment and sports
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.13
LAK24,004
|
$0.78
MWK1,352.73
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.10
LAK44,598
|
$2.66
MWK4,593.66
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.04
LAK43,359
|
$2.93
MWK5,072.75
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.22
LAK727,798
|
$36.19
MWK62,563.92
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
LAK106,350
|
$4.16
MWK7,191.38
|
|
pay 13.8% less for clothing
Vientiane
|
Lilongwe
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$93.14
LAK1,980,985
|
$42.38
MWK73,273.06
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.63
LAK1,076,897
|
$25.43
MWK43,963.84
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$124.25
LAK2,642,720
|
$69.76
MWK120,618.73
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$44.78
LAK952,559
|
$86.39
MWK149,364.31
|
|
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