Moving to Malawi from South Africa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Africa to Malawi — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Africa to Malawi.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from South Africa to Malawi, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Malawi?
Top countries of origin for Malawi's foreign-born residents.
- 40,131
- 31,375
- 27,773
- 27,221
- 10,079
- 7,041
- · · ·
-
8.6,054
South Africa
Key Indicator Comparison
How South Africa 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
Malawi performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
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 South Africa 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 significantly better than South Africa 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
South Africa generally does better on infrastructure, though Malawi leads in water stress level.
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
South Africa 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
South Africa generally does better on family life, though Malawi leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024), South African Revenue Service (2017), Malawi Revenue Authority (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Weather in Malawi vs South Africa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Johannesburg | Lilongwe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 78°/61°F (25°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/45°F (19°/7°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 67°/44°F (20°/7°C) | 72°/45°F (22°/7°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 80°/57°F (27°/14°C) |
View all months
| Month | Johannesburg | Lilongwe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78°/58°F (25.6°/14.7°C) | 78°/61°F (25.5°/16.1°C) |
| Feb | 77°/57°F (25.1°/14.1°C) | 78°/62°F (25.6°/16.5°C) |
| Mar | 75°/56°F (24.0°/13.1°C) | 77°/61°F (24.8°/16.0°C) |
| Apr | 70°/51°F (21.1°/10.3°C) | 74°/59°F (23.5°/14.9°C) |
| May | 66°/45°F (18.9°/7.2°C) | 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C) |
| Jun | 61°/39°F (16.0°/4.1°C) | 69°/46°F (20.4°/7.9°C) |
| Jul | 62°/39°F (16.7°/4.1°C) | 69°/44°F (20.3°/6.5°C) |
| Aug | 67°/43°F (19.4°/6.2°C) | 71°/44°F (21.9°/6.6°C) |
| Sep | 73°/49°F (22.8°/9.3°C) | 77°/48°F (25.1°/8.7°C) |
| Oct | 75°/52°F (23.8°/11.2°C) | 81°/53°F (27.2°/11.7°C) |
| Nov | 76°/55°F (24.2°/12.7°C) | 81°/58°F (27.2°/14.2°C) |
| Dec | 77°/57°F (25.2°/13.9°C) | 79°/61°F (26.1°/15.9°C) |
Data:
South African Weather Service,
Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services
Can you move from South Africa to Malawi?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Africa 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.
South Africa passport holder visiting Malawi
Visa Free
Malawi passport holder visiting South Africa
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 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 South Africa and Malawi.
Is Malawi safe for expats?
Malawi performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Malawi is 1.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 43.7 in South Africa.
How is healthcare in Malawi compared to South Africa?
Malawi generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Malawi, compared to 7.9 in South Africa. Malawi scores 48 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Africa: 71).
What's the weather like in Malawi compared to South Africa?
The average high temperature in Lilongwe is 75°F, compared to 71°F in Johannesburg. Lilongwe receives around 50.7 in of rainfall per year, while Johannesburg gets 28.1 in.
What language do they speak in Malawi?
The official languages in Malawi are Chewa and English. In South Africa, the official languages are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Compare further: South Africa vs. Malawi
At a Glance
ZA
|
MW
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,747,319 | 22,216,120 |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Malawian Kwacha (MWK) |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu | Chewa, English |
| Driving side | Left | Left |
| Calling code | +27 | +265 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | 10111 | — |