Moving to Malawi from Costa Rica
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Costa Rica to Malawi — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Costa Rica to Malawi, and you’d need to navigate life in Chewa and English. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Costa Rica and Malawi stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Costa Rica generally does better on safety, though Malawi leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Malawi generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Costa Rica generally does better on environment, though Malawi leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
share of households with internet
Costa Rica performs better than Malawi across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Costa Rica generally does better on employment & economy, though Malawi leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Costa Rica performs better than Malawi across all family life metrics.
Data: Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Lilongwe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 78°/61°F (25°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 72°/45°F (22°/7°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 80°/57°F (27°/14°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Lilongwe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 78°/61°F (25.5°/16.1°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 78°/62°F (25.6°/16.5°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 77°/61°F (24.8°/16.0°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 74°/59°F (23.5°/14.9°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 69°/46°F (20.4°/7.9°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 69°/44°F (20.3°/6.5°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 71°/44°F (21.9°/6.6°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 77°/48°F (25.1°/8.7°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 81°/53°F (27.2°/11.7°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 81°/58°F (27.2°/14.2°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 79°/61°F (26.1°/15.9°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Costa Rica and Malawi. To live, work, or study long-term in Malawi, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Malawi's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Malawi
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Malawi passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Malawi?
With 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Malawi can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Costa Rica and Malawi.
Is Malawi safe for expats?
Costa Rica generally does better on safety, though Malawi leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Malawi is 1.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.4 in Costa Rica.
How is healthcare in Malawi compared to Costa Rica?
Malawi generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Malawi, compared to 26.4 in Costa Rica. Malawi scores 48 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Costa Rica: 81).
What's the weather like in Malawi compared to Costa Rica?
The average high temperature in Lilongwe is 75°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Lilongwe receives around 50.7 in of rainfall per year, while San Jose gets 73.5 in.
What language do they speak in Malawi?
The official languages in Malawi are Chewa and English. In Costa Rica, the official language is Spanish.
