Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Lilongwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $646 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade 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 Belgrade and in Lilongwe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $646 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Lilongwe $646

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,273 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Lilongwe $1,273

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $1,901 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Lilongwe $1,901

Belgrade costs about 139% more than Lilongwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Lilongwe is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,398

$4.95 MWK 8,504

171.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,036

$34.52 MWK 59.3K

67.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,384

$10.09 MWK 17.3K

31.81%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 317

$3.25 MWK 5,577

-6.15%

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

$2.82 RSD 293

$1.23 MWK 2,118

129.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 238

$0.54 MWK 931

322.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 381

$2.24 MWK 3,839

63.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 435

$3.99 MWK 6,856

4.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 147

$1.24 MWK 2,129

13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 121

$1.78 MWK 3,054

-34.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 263

$1.74 MWK 2,986

45.40%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 292

$2.97 MWK 5,094

-5.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,137

$15.83 MWK 27.2K

-30.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 708

$5.29 MWK 9,075

28.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,603

$4.11 MWK 7,052

274.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$2.64 MWK 4,535

-38.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$1.26 MWK 2,169

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 186

$1.51 MWK 2,594

17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 316

$2.31 MWK 3,974

31.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 101

$2.00 MWK 3,437

-51.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 67.7

$1.02 MWK 1,759

-36.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$0.99 MWK 1,693

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 471

$2.41 MWK 4,143

87.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 858

$24.29 MWK 41.7K

-66.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 89.8

$1.24 MWK 2,122

-30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 148

$2.47 MWK 4,239

-42.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 MWK 1,626

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.25 MWK 7,305

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 323

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$2.61 MWK 4,481

-62.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,780

$2.18 MWK 3,737

684.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.61 MWK 2,757

16.15%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

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

$215 RSD 22.4K

$45.94 MWK 78.9K

367.46%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,659

$11.66 MWK 20.0K

119.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,685

$61.9 MWK 106.2K

-42.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,228

$30.50 MWK 52.4K

33.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 832

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

$453 RSD 47.2K

$351 MWK 601.9K

29.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,951

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.3K

$533 MWK 914.9K

55.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.2K

$86.2 MWK 148.1K

526.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

$583 MWK 1.0M

158.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 101.5K

$675 MWK 1.2M

44.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

$361 MWK 619.8K

253.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Lilongwe

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Lilongwe

–

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Lilongwe

–

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Lilongwe

–

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Lilongwe

–

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Lilongwe

–

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Lilongwe

–

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $829 in Belgrade versus $533 in Lilongwe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belgrade are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $35 in Lilongwe. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Belgrade vs $253 in Lilongwe – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

00:40 12:40 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

781,538 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,928 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Lilongwe 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
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

Belgrade vs Lilongwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $646 in Lilongwe – Lilongwe comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $968 in Lilongwe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lilongwe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $533 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $35 in Lilongwe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lilongwe, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Lilongwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lilongwe – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lilongwe. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.