Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blantyre and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Blantyre: $602 a month against $866 in Da Nang, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Da Nang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

29

Cost of Living Index in Blantyre
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Blantyre Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Blantyre

🇲🇼 Malawi

$602

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Blantyre and in Da Nang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $602 in Blantyre versus $866 in Da Nang.

Blantyre $602
Da Nang $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Blantyre versus $1,402 in Da Nang.

Blantyre $1,046
Da Nang $1,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,489 in Blantyre versus $1,937 in Da Nang.

Blantyre $1,489
Da Nang $1,937

Living in Blantyre costs roughly 30% less than in Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Blantyre 56% lower, Da Nang 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 MWK 6,698

$2.30 ₫59.7K

69.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.39 MWK 23.0K

$19.11 ₫494.6K

-29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 MWK 12.2K

$4.54 ₫117.4K

55.95%

Cappuccino

$2.79 MWK 4,791

$1.73 ₫44.7K

61.27%

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

$0.85 MWK 1,465

$0.60 ₫15.5K

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MWK 772

$0.34 ₫8,807

32.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 MWK 1,802

$1.38 ₫35.9K

-23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MWK 2,987

$2.35 ₫60.8K

-25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MWK 1,817

$1.59 ₫41.1K

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MWK 2,318

$1.23 ₫31.7K

9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 MWK 3,480

$1.05 ₫27.1K

93.33%

Eggs

$1.74 MWK 2,993

$1.49 ₫38.5K

16.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.65 MWK 6,268

$13.26 ₫343.2K

-72.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 MWK 9,455

$4.25 ₫110.1K

29.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 MWK 11.4K

$9.57 ₫247.8K

-30.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 MWK 3,893

$2.64 ₫68.3K

-14.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MWK 4,059

$1.20 ₫31.2K

96.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MWK 4,108

$1.31 ₫34.0K

82.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MWK 1,903

$1.53 ₫39.5K

-27.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MWK 2,263

$1.14 ₫29.6K

15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MWK 2,326

$1.31 ₫33.9K

3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 MWK 530

$1.03 ₫26.8K

-69.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MWK 1,349

$0.53 ₫13.7K

49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 MWK 4,121

$1.51 ₫39.2K

58.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 MWK 23.4K

$7.54 ₫195.2K

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 MWK 1,578

$0.93 ₫24.2K

-1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 MWK 2,819

$2.17 ₫56.2K

-24.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MWK 891

$0.35 ₫8,963

48.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.01 ₫129.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 MWK 1,051

$1.04 ₫26.9K

-41.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 MWK 2,544

$0.56 ₫14.5K

164.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 MWK 6,727

$19.19 ₫496.8K

-79.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MWK 2,588

$0.89 ₫23.1K

69.66%

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

$34.7K MWK 59.6M

$30.4K ₫788.3M

14.06%

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

$39.2K MWK 67.4M

$28.1K ₫726.2M

39.91%

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

$26.58 MWK 45.6K

$78.5 ₫2.0M

-66.16%

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

$7.89 MWK 13.6K

$6.17 ₫159.8K

27.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.35 ₫216.1K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 MWK 102.6K

$25.33 ₫655.7K

135.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 MWK 26.0K

$5.45 ₫141.0K

177.80%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 ₫85.1K

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

$385 MWK 660.7K

$160 ₫4.2M

139.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$603 MWK 1.0M

$14.9K ₫385.9M

-95.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.33 MWK 74.4K

$44.73 ₫1.2M

-3.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 MWK 69.1K

$27.90 ₫722.2K

44.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.11 MWK 82.6K

$102 ₫2.6M

-52.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MWK 122.0K

$81.1 ₫2.1M

-12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 MWK 386.5K

$532 ₫13.8M

-57.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 MWK 199.7K

$346 ₫9.0M

-66.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MWK 1.0M

$1,039 ₫26.9M

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 MWK 676.6K

$794 ₫20.6M

-50.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,852 ₫99.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 MWK 686.0K

$1,328 ₫34.4M

-69.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 MWK 576.4K

$354 ₫9.2M

-5.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

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

Last update for Blantyre: October 18, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Blantyre

$191 31.6%

Da Nang

$202 23.3% 5.9% $11

Accommodation & Living

Blantyre

$116 19.3%

Da Nang

$346 39.9% 197% $230

Eating Out

Blantyre

$100 16.6%

Da Nang

$68 7.9% 31.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Blantyre

$91 15.2%

Da Nang

$115 13.3% 26.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Blantyre

$60 * 9.9%

Da Nang

$32 3.7% 46.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blantyre

$34 * 5.7%

Da Nang

$93 10.7% 170% $59

Getting Around

Blantyre

$10 * 1.7%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 1.4% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Blantyre and $532 in Da Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Da Nang pays 6% 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: $13.00 in Blantyre vs $19.00 in Da Nang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $202 per month, with Blantyre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Blantyre

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

20:19 8:19 PM

5 h ahead of Blantyre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

994,500

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,930 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MWK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Blantyre Da Nang 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Blantyre
Da Nang

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

Blantyre vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blantyre and Da Nang differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($602 vs $866 including rent). Blantyre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Da Nang. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Blantyre versus $532 in Da Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Da Nang. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $602 per month in Blantyre versus $866 in Da Nang – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Blantyre gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Blantyre and Da Nang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Blantyre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Da Nang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.