Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lilongwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $646 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $646 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Lilongwe $646

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,273 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Lilongwe $1,273

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,901 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Lilongwe $1,901

Budapest costs about 155% more than Lilongwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Lilongwe is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$4.95 MWK 8,504

175.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$34.52 MWK 59.3K

75.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$10.09 MWK 17.3K

-0.69%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$3.25 MWK 5,577

2.46%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$1.23 MWK 2,118

72.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.54 MWK 931

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.24 MWK 3,839

61.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.99 MWK 6,856

-10.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.24 MWK 2,129

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.78 MWK 3,054

8.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$1.74 MWK 2,986

43.10%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$2.97 MWK 5,094

32.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.83 MWK 27.2K

-28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$5.29 MWK 9,075

27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$4.11 MWK 7,052

251.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$2.64 MWK 4,535

-29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$1.26 MWK 2,169

61.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.51 MWK 2,594

51.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$2.31 MWK 3,974

72.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$2.00 MWK 3,437

-53.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$1.02 MWK 1,759

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.99 MWK 1,693

-31.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$2.41 MWK 4,143

224.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$24.29 MWK 41.7K

-75.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.24 MWK 2,122

4.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.47 MWK 4,239

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.95 MWK 1,626

57.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$4.25 MWK 7,305

538.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$2.61 MWK 4,481

-47.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$2.18 MWK 3,737

815.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.61 MWK 2,757

15.53%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$45.94 MWK 78.9K

287.83%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$11.66 MWK 20.0K

102.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$61.9 MWK 106.2K

-61.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$30.50 MWK 52.4K

128.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$351 MWK 601.9K

78.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$533 MWK 914.9K

58.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$86.2 MWK 148.1K

640.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$583 MWK 1.0M

175.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$675 MWK 1.2M

80.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

$361 MWK 619.8K

377.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

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

Last update for Budapest: 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

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Lilongwe

–

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Lilongwe

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Lilongwe

–

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Lilongwe

–

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Lilongwe

–

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Lilongwe

–

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Lilongwe

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest 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 Budapest are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $35 in Lilongwe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $253 – making Lilongwe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

781,538 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 6, 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 HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Lilongwe 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Budapest vs Lilongwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 155%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest 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 $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Lilongwe. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $351 in Lilongwe. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lilongwe, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Lilongwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.