Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Lilongwe is 23.8% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 34.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lilongwe is 2.6% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 10.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.95 MWK 8,493

$2.02 ฿65.3

145.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 MWK 55.5K

$18.78 ฿608

72.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

$7.67 ฿248

31.81%

Cappuccino

$3 MWK 5,151

$1.98 ฿64.2

51.52%

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

$0.9 MWK 1,542

$0.82 ฿26.64

9.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MWK 659

$0.33 ฿10.58

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MWK 2,947

$2.12 ฿68.6

-18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 MWK 6,727

$3.73 ฿121

5.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1 MWK 1,719

$1.64 ฿53.2

-39.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 MWK 2,157

$1.57 ฿50.9

-19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MWK 2,929

$1.19 ฿38.62

43.70%

Eggs

$2.64 MWK 4,531

$1.98 ฿64.1

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.92 MWK 27.3K

$15.99 ฿517

-0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MWK 5,638

$3.12 ฿101

5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4 MWK 6,864

$11.16 ฿361

-64.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 MWK 4,532

$2.76 ฿89.2

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 MWK 1,765

$1.22 ฿39.5

-15.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 MWK 2,598

$1.71 ฿55.4

-11.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.5 MWK 2,582

$1.55 ฿50.2

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.4 MWK 2,411

$1.34 ฿43.21

4.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MWK 2,191

$1.21 ฿39.23

5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿23.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MWK 1,117

$0.53 ฿17.05

22.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 MWK 2,778

$4.72 ฿153

-65.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 MWK 25.4K

$18.39 ฿595

-19.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MWK 1,775

$1.79 ฿57.9

-42.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 MWK 3,225

$3.21 ฿104

-41.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 MWK 1,606

$0.94 ฿30.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.24 MWK 7,280

$18.9 ฿612

-77.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ฿46.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 MWK 4,414

$1.35 ฿43.53

90.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MWK 3,797

$7.85 ฿254

-71.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MWK 2,738

$1.25 ฿40.4

27.20%

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

$21.2K ฿684.9K

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

$21.8K ฿706.8K

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

$44.67 MWK 76.7K

$70.6 ฿2,285

-36.74%

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

$11.59 MWK 19.9K

$13.72 ฿444

-15.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 MWK 109K

$17.56 ฿568

261.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.07 MWK 65.4K

$41.64 ฿1,347

-8.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.9 ฿223

Cinema Ticket

$3.88 MWK 6,662

$5.8 ฿188

-33.10%

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

$343 MWK 589.7K

$308 ฿9,963

11.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,351 MWK 4M

$14.7K ฿475.8K

-84.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 ฿1,793

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.4 ฿854

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 ฿2,755

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ฿2,323

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ฿14K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.3 MWK 117.2K

$235 ฿7,610

-70.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 MWK 457.9K

$821 ฿26.6K

-67.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MWK 966.9K

$498 ฿16.1K

13.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K MWK 27.6M

$2,180 ฿70.6K

636.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,543 ฿49.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 MWK 480.6K

$703 ฿22.8K

-60.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lilongwe: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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