Cost of living in Malawi
Summary of cost of living in Malawi
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: 2,563,214 Kwacha
- Single person estimated monthly costs: 960,699 Kwacha WARNING! These estimates are based on only a few data points. At the moment, you should treat them only as a best guess.
Change the currency:
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 8,000 Kwacha | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | 5,000 Kwacha | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 1,951 Kwacha | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 1,500 Kwacha | ||
| 12 eggs, large | - | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 743 Kwacha | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 8,000 Kwacha | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 1,602 Kwacha | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 935 Kwacha | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 800 Kwacha | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 8,470 Kwacha | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | 2,700 Kwacha | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 401 Kwacha | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | 556,180 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | 309,557 Kwacha | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 56,093 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | 350,000 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | - | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | 20,000 Kwacha | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | 50,000 Kwacha | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | 254,431 Kwacha | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | 150,000 Kwacha | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 9,000 Kwacha | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | - | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | 30,000 Kwacha | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | 260,000 Kwacha | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | 50,000 Kwacha | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 70,660 Kwacha | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 9,759,340 Kwacha | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 2,000 Kwacha | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | 35,497 Kwacha | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 1,000 Kwacha | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | - | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | 20,191 Kwacha | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | - | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 1,127 Kwacha | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 1,000 Kwacha | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 1,500 Kwacha | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | 1,500 Kwacha | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 4,500 Kwacha | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 30,000 Kwacha | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | 4,000 Kwacha | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | - | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 36,018 Kwacha | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 4,000 Kwacha | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 2,541 Kwacha | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 2,500 Kwacha | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | 300,000 Kwacha | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 100 Kwacha | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 50,973 Kwacha | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | - | ||
Map of Cost of Living in Malawi
This map shows only the top cities in Malawi. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
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