Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Malawi

Name: Malawi
Address: MW

For one person, living is cheaper in Malawi: $666 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Malawi
Learn more

Malawi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

🇲🇼 Malawi

$666

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Bucharest is 28.8% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 102.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Bucharest is 61.1% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 67.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$5.09 MWK 8,739

184.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$26.28 MWK 45.1K

119.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$6.55 MWK 11.2K

14.50%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.22 MWK 5,531

6.52%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.87 MWK 1,490

182.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.46 MWK 792

406.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.46 MWK 2,506

160.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.92 MWK 5,017

40.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.14 MWK 1,961

44.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.31 MWK 2,253

3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.72 MWK 2,951

3.49%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.15 MWK 3,693

70.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$7.61 MWK 13.1K

12.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$3.75 MWK 6,446

81.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$5.71 MWK 9,806

105.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.49 MWK 4,280

-48.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.79 MWK 3,074

-12.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.26 MWK 3,875

-31.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.11 MWK 1,913

123.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.35 MWK 2,321

-38.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.46 MWK 2,506

-45.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.31 MWK 527

170.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.29 MWK 2,214

-27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$2.34 MWK 4,023

175.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$14.48 MWK 24.9K

-56.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.09 MWK 1,865

15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.10 MWK 3,614

-23.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.83 MWK 1,432

-2.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$2.17 MWK 3,734

873.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.61 MWK 1,055

-1.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$2.42 MWK 4,153

-74.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$2.14 MWK 3,675

188.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.52 MWK 2,605

28.95%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$35.5K MWK 60.9M

-20.65%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$39.7K MWK 68.2M

-33.81%

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

$197 RON 931

$38.60 MWK 66.3K

409.97%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

-17.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$76.9 MWK 132.0K

-88.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$36.17 MWK 62.1K

37.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$15.02 MWK 25.8K

66.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

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

$639 RON 3,023

$378 MWK 648.6K

69.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$594 MWK 1.0M

2321.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$43.70 MWK 75.0K

107.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$39.41 MWK 67.7K

-3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$48.86 MWK 83.9K

63.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$69.1 MWK 118.6K

34.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$230 MWK 394.6K

192.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$79.0 MWK 135.7K

468.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$557 MWK 955.6K

97.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$380 MWK 652.1K

91.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$390 MWK 670.2K

460.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$282 MWK 484.0K

369.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Malawi: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Malawi

$79 11.9% 82.4% $370

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Malawi

$117 17.7% 47.9% $108

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Malawi

$199 29.9% 10.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Malawi

$126 18.9% 41.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Malawi

$90 13.6% 33.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Malawi

$36 * 5.4% 45.8% $31

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Malawi

$18 2.7% 35.1% $9.8

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

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇼 Malawi

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

18,622,104

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Malawi 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Malawi

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

Bucharest vs other spots: cost of living compared

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