Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Lilongwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $587 a month against $643 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cairo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
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Lilongwe Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $587 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Cairo $643
Lilongwe $587

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,146 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Lilongwe $1,146

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $1,706 in Lilongwe, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Lilongwe $1,706

Cairo costs about 10% more than Lilongwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Lilongwe are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Lilongwe 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$5.07 MWK 8,703

-7.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$31.96 MWK 54.9K

-10.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$10.40 MWK 17.9K

-42.02%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$3.08 MWK 5,294

-41.23%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.41 MWK 2,426

-75.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.37 MWK 641

-59.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$2.02 MWK 3,470

-28.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$3.95 MWK 6,779

-43.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.00 MWK 1,716

-3.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.38 MWK 2,363

-47.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.68 MWK 2,884

-54.17%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.03 MWK 5,204

-61.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$15.87 MWK 27.2K

-72.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$3.27 MWK 5,608

55.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$4.08 MWK 7,005

118.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.53 MWK 4,337

-27.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.21 MWK 2,072

-38.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.54 MWK 2,648

-62.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.75 MWK 3,013

-70.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.90 MWK 3,254

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.42 MWK 2,436

-70.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.57 MWK 978

-57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$1.62 MWK 2,781

22.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$14.51 MWK 24.9K

-48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.04 MWK 1,787

46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.95 MWK 3,348

9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.90 MWK 1,538

-63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$4.42 MWK 7,584

95.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$2.52 MWK 4,322

-92.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$2.14 MWK 3,667

-30.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.63 MWK 2,797

-71.78%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$46.17 MWK 79.3K

-40.35%

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

$8.27 E£432

$11.93 MWK 20.5K

-30.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$63.2 MWK 108.5K

-77.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$37.64 MWK 64.6K

-24.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

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

$121 E£6,356

$354 MWK 607.7K

-65.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$2,315 MWK 4.0M

56.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$66.5 MWK 114.1K

192.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$265 MWK 455.1K

93.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$548 MWK 940.9K

-39.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$277 MWK 475.8K

-27.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Lilongwe

$66 11.3% 65.8% $128

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Lilongwe

$207 * 35.3% 46.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Lilongwe

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Lilongwe

$134 22.8% 47% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Lilongwe

$121 20.7% 143% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Lilongwe

$38 * 6.4% 1.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.5% 81.3% $9.2

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 38% higher in Lilongwe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $32.00 in Lilongwe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $207 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

781,538 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,924 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.2 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Lilongwe 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
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

Cairo vs Lilongwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $880 in Lilongwe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 47% cheaper in Cairo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $32.00 in Lilongwe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $643 in Cairo and $587 in Lilongwe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.