Moving to Benin from Malawi
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Malawi to Benin — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Malawi to Benin, and you’d need to navigate life in French. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Malawi and Benin stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Malawi generally does better on safety, though Benin 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 Benin 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
Malawi performs better than Benin across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
share of households with internet
Benin performs significantly 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
share of people below the poverty line
Benin performs significantly better than Malawi across all employment & economy metrics.
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
Malawi generally does better on family life, though Benin leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Lilongwe | Porto-novo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 78°/61°F (25°/16°C) | — |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) | — |
| Jul–Sep | 72°/45°F (22°/7°C) | — |
| Oct–Dec | 80°/57°F (27°/14°C) | — |
View all months
| Month | Lilongwe | Porto-novo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78°/61°F (25.5°/16.1°C) | — |
| Feb | 78°/62°F (25.6°/16.5°C) | — |
| Mar | 77°/61°F (24.8°/16.0°C) | — |
| Apr | 74°/59°F (23.5°/14.9°C) | — |
| May | 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C) | — |
| Jun | 69°/46°F (20.4°/7.9°C) | — |
| Jul | 69°/44°F (20.3°/6.5°C) | — |
| Aug | 71°/44°F (21.9°/6.6°C) | — |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (25.1°/8.7°C) | — |
| Oct | 81°/53°F (27.2°/11.7°C) | — |
| Nov | 81°/58°F (27.2°/14.2°C) | — |
| Dec | 79°/61°F (26.1°/15.9°C) | — |
Data:
Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services,
Agence Nationale de la Meteorologie (METEO BENIN)
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Malawi and Benin. To live, work, or study long-term in Benin, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Benin's immigration authority.
Malawi passport holder visiting Benin
Visa Free
Benin passport holder visiting Malawi
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Benin?
With 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Benin can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Malawi and Benin.
Is Benin safe for expats?
Malawi generally does better on safety, though Benin leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Benin is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.8 in Malawi.
How is healthcare in Benin compared to Malawi?
Malawi generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Benin leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Benin, compared to 0.5 in Malawi. Benin scores 38 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Malawi: 48).
What's the weather like in Benin compared to Malawi?
The average high temperature in Porto-novo is None°F, compared to 75°F in Lilongwe. Porto-novo receives around 47.0 in of rainfall per year, while Lilongwe gets 50.7 in.
What language do they speak in Benin?
The official language in Benin is French. In Malawi, the official languages are Chewa and English.
