Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blantyre and Lilongwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Blantyre: $602 a month against $641 in Lilongwe, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Lilongwe despite lower rent and utilities.

29

Cost of Living Index in Blantyre
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Blantyre Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
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Lilongwe Living Index

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Blantyre

🇲🇼 Malawi

$602

/mo nomad

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $602 in Blantyre versus $641 in Lilongwe.

Blantyre $602
Lilongwe $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Blantyre versus $1,277 in Lilongwe.

Blantyre $1,046
Lilongwe $1,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,489 in Blantyre versus $1,913 in Lilongwe.

Blantyre $1,489
Lilongwe $1,913

Living in Blantyre costs roughly 6% less than in Lilongwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Blantyre 56% lower, Lilongwe 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 MWK 6,698

$4.98 MWK 8,555

-21.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.39 MWK 23.0K

$34.36 MWK 59.0K

-61.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 MWK 12.2K

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

-29.97%

Cappuccino

$2.79 MWK 4,791

$3.29 MWK 5,654

-15.20%

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

$0.85 MWK 1,465

$1.23 MWK 2,109

-30.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MWK 772

$0.60 MWK 1,026

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 MWK 1,802

$2.24 MWK 3,850

-53.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MWK 2,987

$4.00 MWK 6,875

-56.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MWK 1,817

$1.28 MWK 2,204

-17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MWK 2,318

$1.83 MWK 3,145

-26.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 MWK 3,480

$1.75 MWK 3,005

16.00%

Eggs

$1.74 MWK 2,993

$2.88 MWK 4,952

-39.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.65 MWK 6,268

$16.02 MWK 27.5K

-77.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 MWK 9,455

$5.09 MWK 8,746

8.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 MWK 11.4K

$3.92 MWK 6,735

68.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 MWK 3,893

$2.55 MWK 4,370

-10.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MWK 4,059

$1.21 MWK 2,083

95.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MWK 4,108

$1.46 MWK 2,501

63.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MWK 1,903

$2.22 MWK 3,809

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MWK 2,263

$2.07 MWK 3,546

-36.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MWK 2,326

$0.99 MWK 1,700

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 MWK 530

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MWK 1,349

$1.03 MWK 1,763

-23.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 MWK 4,121

$2.37 MWK 4,072

1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 MWK 23.4K

$23.72 MWK 40.7K

-42.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 MWK 1,578

$1.19 MWK 2,042

-22.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 MWK 2,819

$2.57 MWK 4,412

-36.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MWK 891

$0.90 MWK 1,551

-42.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.28 MWK 7,341

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 MWK 1,051

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 MWK 2,544

$2.54 MWK 4,355

-41.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 MWK 6,727

$2.20 MWK 3,776

78.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MWK 2,588

$1.56 MWK 2,679

-3.21%

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

$34.7K MWK 59.6M

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

$39.2K MWK 67.4M

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

$26.58 MWK 45.6K

$45.36 MWK 77.9K

-41.40%

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

$7.89 MWK 13.6K

$11.62 MWK 20.0K

-32.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 MWK 103.6K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 MWK 102.6K

$30.44 MWK 52.3K

96.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 MWK 26.0K

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

$385 MWK 660.7K

$350 MWK 601.5K

9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$603 MWK 1.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.33 MWK 74.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 MWK 69.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.11 MWK 82.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MWK 122.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 MWK 386.5K

$544 MWK 933.2K

-58.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 MWK 199.7K

$85.6 MWK 147.0K

35.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MWK 1.0M

$578 MWK 992.6K

2.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 MWK 676.6K

$694 MWK 1.2M

-43.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 MWK 686.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 MWK 576.4K

$370 MWK 635.2K

-9.26%

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

Last update for Blantyre: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Blantyre

$191 31.6%

Lilongwe

$251 * 39.1% 31.6% $60

Accommodation & Living

Blantyre

$116 19.3%

Lilongwe

$86 13.4% 26.4% $31

Eating Out

Blantyre

$100 16.6%

Lilongwe

$136 21.3% 36.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Blantyre

$91 15.2%

Lilongwe

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Blantyre

$60 * 9.9%

Lilongwe

$30 * 4.8% 49.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blantyre

$34 * 5.7%

Lilongwe

$117 18.3% 240% $83

Getting Around

Blantyre

$10 * 1.7%

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.2% 104% $10

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 $544 in Lilongwe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lilongwe pays 10% 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 $34.00 in Lilongwe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $251 per month, with Blantyre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Blantyre

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

Same time as Blantyre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

994,500

781,538 Capital

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Lilongwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blantyre and Lilongwe differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($602 vs $641 including rent). Blantyre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Lilongwe. 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 $544 in Lilongwe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lilongwe. 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 $641 in Lilongwe – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $602 in Blantyre versus $641 in Lilongwe, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Blantyre but tight or insufficient in Lilongwe. The gap between the two cities makes Blantyre 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 Blantyre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Lilongwe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.