Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $646 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$646

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lilongwe and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $646 per month in Lilongwe vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

Lilongwe $646
Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $1,273 per month in Lilongwe vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

Lilongwe $1,273
Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $1,901 per month in Lilongwe vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

Lilongwe $1,901
Belgrade $3,161

Lilongwe is about 58% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lilongwe sits 52% below the global median, while Belgrade is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.95 MWK 8,504

$13.43 RSD 1,398

-63.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.52 MWK 59.3K

$58.0 RSD 6,036

-40.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.09 MWK 17.3K

$13.30 RSD 1,384

-24.14%

Cappuccino

$3.25 MWK 5,577

$3.05 RSD 317

6.56%

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

$1.23 MWK 2,118

$2.82 RSD 293

-56.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 MWK 931

$2.28 RSD 238

-76.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MWK 3,839

$3.66 RSD 381

-38.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MWK 6,856

$4.18 RSD 435

-4.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 MWK 2,129

$1.41 RSD 147

-12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 MWK 3,054

$1.16 RSD 121

53.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MWK 2,986

$2.53 RSD 263

-31.23%

Eggs

$2.97 MWK 5,094

$2.80 RSD 292

6.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.83 MWK 27.2K

$10.93 RSD 1,137

44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 MWK 9,075

$6.80 RSD 708

-22.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.11 MWK 7,052

$15.40 RSD 1,603

-73.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 MWK 4,535

$1.63 RSD 170

61.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MWK 2,169

$1.75 RSD 182

-28.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 MWK 2,594

$1.78 RSD 186

-15.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MWK 3,974

$3.04 RSD 316

-24.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MWK 3,437

$0.97 RSD 101

106.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 MWK 1,759

$0.65 RSD 67.7

56.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 MWK 1,693

$0.72 RSD 75.3

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 MWK 4,143

$4.53 RSD 471

-46.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.29 MWK 41.7K

$8.25 RSD 858

194.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MWK 2,122

$0.86 RSD 89.8

44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MWK 4,239

$1.43 RSD 148

72.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 MWK 1,626

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.25 MWK 7,305

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 323

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 MWK 4,481

$0.98 RSD 102

166.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 MWK 3,737

$17.10 RSD 1,780

-87.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 MWK 2,757

$1.87 RSD 195

-13.90%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

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

$45.94 MWK 78.9K

$215 RSD 22.4K

-78.61%

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

$11.66 MWK 20.0K

$25.55 RSD 2,659

-54.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.9 MWK 106.2K

$35.40 RSD 3,685

74.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.50 MWK 52.4K

$40.62 RSD 4,228

-24.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 832

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

$351 MWK 601.9K

$453 RSD 47.2K

-22.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,951

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 MWK 914.9K

$829 RSD 86.3K

-35.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.2 MWK 148.1K

$540 RSD 56.2K

-84.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 MWK 1.0M

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

-61.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 MWK 1.2M

$975 RSD 101.5K

-30.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$361 MWK 619.8K

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

-71.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

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

Last update for Lilongwe: November 2, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Groceries & Markets

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Eating Out

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$231 15%

Clothing & Footwear

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Getting Around

Lilongwe

–

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Lilongwe versus $829 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belgrade are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Lilongwe versus $58 in Belgrade. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Lilongwe vs $241 in Belgrade – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h behind Lilongwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

781,538 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to MWK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lilongwe Belgrade 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lilongwe
Belgrade

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

Lilongwe vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $646 in Lilongwe, $1,541 in Belgrade – Lilongwe comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $968 per month in Lilongwe and $2,312 in Belgrade. 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 $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Lilongwe and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lilongwe, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Lilongwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade 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, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.