Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lilongwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $587 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
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Lilongwe Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lilongwe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Lilongwe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $587 in Lilongwe.

Austin, TX $2,704
Lilongwe $587

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,146 in Lilongwe.

Austin, TX $4,133
Lilongwe $1,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,706 in Lilongwe.

Austin, TX $5,562
Lilongwe $1,706

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 361% more expensive than in Lilongwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Lilongwe is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$5.07 MWK 8,703

298.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$31.96 MWK 54.9K

166.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.40 MWK 17.9K

18.75%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.08 MWK 5,294

77.60%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.41 MWK 2,426

170.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.37 MWK 641

575.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.02 MWK 3,470

299.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.95 MWK 6,779

127.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.00 MWK 1,716

13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.38 MWK 2,363

173.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.68 MWK 2,884

93.45%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.03 MWK 5,204

36.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$15.87 MWK 27.2K

-17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.27 MWK 5,608

337.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$4.08 MWK 7,005

291.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.53 MWK 4,337

73.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.21 MWK 2,072

19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.54 MWK 2,648

194.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.75 MWK 3,013

139.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.90 MWK 3,254

38.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.42 MWK 2,436

66.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.57 MWK 978

278.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.62 MWK 2,781

505.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$14.51 MWK 24.9K

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.04 MWK 1,787

167.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.95 MWK 3,348

78.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.90 MWK 1,538

65.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$4.42 MWK 7,584

816.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.52 MWK 4,322

-37.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$2.14 MWK 3,667

1549.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.63 MWK 2,797

-39.26%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$46.17 MWK 79.3K

374.92%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$11.93 MWK 20.5K

386.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$63.2 MWK 108.5K

8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$37.64 MWK 64.6K

53.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$354 MWK 607.7K

326.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,315 MWK 4.0M

826.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$66.5 MWK 114.1K

1814.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$265 MWK 455.1K

1284.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$548 MWK 940.9K

360.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$277 MWK 475.8K

1742.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Lilongwe

$66 11.3% 94.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Lilongwe

$207 * 35.3% 48.6% $196

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Lilongwe

$134 22.8% 61.5% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Lilongwe

$121 20.7% 64.9% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Lilongwe

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Lilongwe

$38 * 6.4% 56.3% $49

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.5% 63.9% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays 1742% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $32.00 in Lilongwe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $207 per month, with Lilongwe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

781,538 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,926 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR).

MWK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Lilongwe 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lilongwe

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Lilongwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lilongwe wins on cost – living expenses run 361% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lilongwe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1742% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $587 in Lilongwe – a 361% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lilongwe runs roughly 817% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $587 in Lilongwe versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lilongwe but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lilongwe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lilongwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 361% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.