Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Blantyre

For one person, living is cheaper in Blantyre: $598 a month against $639 in Lilongwe, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Lilongwe despite lower rent and utilities.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
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Lilongwe Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Blantyre
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Blantyre Living Index

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Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$639

/mo nomad

Blantyre

🇲🇼 Malawi

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lilongwe and in Blantyre

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 Blantyre actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Lilongwe versus $598 in Blantyre.

Lilongwe $639
Blantyre $598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,262 in Lilongwe versus $1,037 in Blantyre.

Lilongwe $1,262
Blantyre $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,885 in Lilongwe versus $1,476 in Blantyre.

Lilongwe $1,885
Blantyre $1,476

Living in Lilongwe is roughly 7% more expensive than in Blantyre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.86 MWK 8,350

$4.05 MWK 6,946

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.93 MWK 58.3K

$13.27 MWK 22.8K

155.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 MWK 17.7K

$7.03 MWK 12.1K

46.94%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MWK 5,592

$2.73 MWK 4,688

19.41%

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

$1.29 MWK 2,219

$0.83 MWK 1,431

55.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MWK 1,017

$0.45 MWK 776

31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MWK 3,865

$1.10 MWK 1,885

104.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 MWK 7,068

$1.71 MWK 2,938

140.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MWK 2,084

$1.06 MWK 1,821

14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 MWK 3,042

$1.31 MWK 2,244

35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MWK 2,919

$2.05 MWK 3,519

-17.07%

Eggs

$2.84 MWK 4,876

$1.75 MWK 3,006

62.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.45 MWK 26.5K

$3.52 MWK 6,050

338.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.15 MWK 8,851

$5.66 MWK 9,723

-9.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.09 MWK 7,019

$6.38 MWK 11.0K

-35.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 MWK 4,303

$2.23 MWK 3,825

12.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MWK 2,165

$2.31 MWK 3,970

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 MWK 2,635

$2.39 MWK 4,103

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MWK 3,959

$1.10 MWK 1,897

110.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 MWK 3,528

$1.32 MWK 2,265

55.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 MWK 1,669

$1.36 MWK 2,338

-28.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 MWK 571

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MWK 1,683

$0.83 MWK 1,426

18.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 MWK 4,272

$2.43 MWK 4,164

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.64 MWK 40.6K

$13.48 MWK 23.2K

75.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MWK 2,042

$0.95 MWK 1,634

25.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MWK 4,299

$1.58 MWK 2,720

58.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 MWK 1,624

$0.52 MWK 896

82.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.43 MWK 7,610

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 MWK 1,038

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 MWK 4,466

$1.56 MWK 2,671

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 MWK 3,635

$3.96 MWK 6,807

-46.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MWK 2,785

$1.59 MWK 2,725

1.89%

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

$35.4K MWK 60.7M

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

$39.6K MWK 68.0M

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

$45.40 MWK 78.0K

$26.82 MWK 46.1K

69.28%

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

$11.58 MWK 19.9K

$7.99 MWK 13.7K

44.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 MWK 104.5K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.98 MWK 53.2K

$59.1 MWK 101.5K

-47.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.74 MWK 25.3K

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

$349 MWK 599.1K

$393 MWK 674.5K

-11.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$585 MWK 1.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 MWK 74.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MWK 67.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.67 MWK 85.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 MWK 118.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 MWK 914.1K

$232 MWK 398.0K

129.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.0 MWK 145.9K

$113 MWK 193.8K

-24.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 MWK 1.0M

$595 MWK 1.0M

-1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 MWK 1.2M

$384 MWK 659.9K

74.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$391 MWK 670.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$357 MWK 613.2K

$334 MWK 572.8K

7.05%

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

Last update for Lilongwe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Blantyre: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lilongwe

$248 * 38.8%

Blantyre

$190 31.7% 23.5% $58

Eating Out

Lilongwe

$136 21.3%

Blantyre

$100 16.8% 26.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lilongwe

$118 18.4%

Blantyre

$35 * 5.8% 70.5% $83

Accommodation & Living

Lilongwe

$85 13.3%

Blantyre

$113 18.9% 32.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lilongwe

$31 * 4.9%

Blantyre

$59 * 9.9% 90.9% $28

Getting Around

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.3%

Blantyre

$10 * 1.8% 50.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lilongwe

- * 0%

Blantyre

$91 15.2%

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 $532 in Lilongwe and $232 in Blantyre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lilongwe pays 7% 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: $34.00 in Lilongwe vs $13.00 in Blantyre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $190 per month, with Blantyre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Blantyre

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

Same time as Lilongwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

781,538 Capital

994,500

💱 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

Lilongwe vs Blantyre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lilongwe and Blantyre differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($639 vs $598 including rent). Blantyre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Lilongwe, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $532 in Lilongwe versus $232 in Blantyre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Lilongwe. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $639 per month in Lilongwe versus $598 in Blantyre – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $598 in Blantyre versus $639 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 7% less than in Lilongwe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.