Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $639 a month against $863 in Da Nang, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Da Nang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
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Lilongwe Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$639

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lilongwe and in Da Nang

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

A single person spends $639 per month in Lilongwe vs $863 in Da Nang, rent included.

Lilongwe $639
Da Nang $863

A couple spends around $1,262 per month in Lilongwe vs $1,404 in Da Nang, rent included.

Lilongwe $1,262
Da Nang $1,404

A family of three spends $1,885 per month in Lilongwe vs $1,945 in Da Nang, rent included.

Lilongwe $1,885
Da Nang $1,945

Lilongwe is about 26% cheaper than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lilongwe and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Lilongwe 53% lower, Da Nang 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.86 MWK 8,350

$2.30 ₫59.4K

111.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.93 MWK 58.3K

$19.62 ₫508.0K

72.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 MWK 17.7K

$4.60 ₫119.1K

124.57%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MWK 5,592

$1.66 ₫43.0K

96.39%

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

$1.29 MWK 2,219

$0.61 ₫15.7K

111.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MWK 1,017

$0.34 ₫8,877

73.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MWK 3,865

$1.34 ₫34.6K

67.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 MWK 7,068

$2.36 ₫61.1K

74.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MWK 2,084

$1.60 ₫41.5K

-24.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 MWK 3,042

$1.21 ₫31.3K

46.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MWK 2,919

$1.00 ₫25.9K

70.00%

Eggs

$2.84 MWK 4,876

$1.51 ₫39.1K

88.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.45 MWK 26.5K

$12.90 ₫333.9K

19.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.15 MWK 8,851

$4.29 ₫111.1K

20.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.09 MWK 7,019

$9.06 ₫234.6K

-54.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 MWK 4,303

$2.73 ₫70.6K

-8.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MWK 2,165

$1.19 ₫30.8K

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 MWK 2,635

$1.29 ₫33.4K

18.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MWK 3,959

$1.60 ₫41.3K

44.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 MWK 3,528

$1.18 ₫30.4K

73.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 MWK 1,669

$1.33 ₫34.3K

-27.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₫26.1K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MWK 1,683

$0.53 ₫13.7K

84.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 MWK 4,272

$1.56 ₫40.3K

59.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.64 MWK 40.6K

$7.93 ₫205.2K

198.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MWK 2,042

$0.88 ₫22.9K

35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MWK 4,299

$2.12 ₫54.9K

17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 MWK 1,624

$0.32 ₫8,182

196.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.43 MWK 7,610

$4.99 ₫129.3K

-11.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 MWK 4,466

$0.55 ₫14.3K

372.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 MWK 3,635

$19.50 ₫504.8K

-89.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MWK 2,785

$0.95 ₫24.5K

70.53%

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

$30.9K ₫799.2M

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

$28.0K ₫724.6M

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

$45.40 MWK 78.0K

$76.6 ₫2.0M

-40.72%

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

$11.58 MWK 19.9K

$6.47 ₫167.6K

78.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 MWK 104.5K

$8.08 ₫209.1K

653.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.98 MWK 53.2K

$24.98 ₫646.6K

24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.35 ₫138.6K

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₫79.4K

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

$349 MWK 599.1K

$161 ₫4.2M

116.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K ₫392.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.38 ₫1.2M

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.22 ₫704.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₫2.6M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 ₫2.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 MWK 914.1K

$529 ₫13.7M

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.0 MWK 145.9K

$349 ₫9.0M

-75.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 MWK 1.0M

$1,053 ₫27.3M

-44.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 MWK 1.2M

$811 ₫21.0M

-17.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,834 ₫99.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ₫33.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$357 MWK 613.2K

$363 ₫9.4M

-1.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

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

Last update for Lilongwe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lilongwe

$248 * 38.8%

Da Nang

$201 23.2% 19.2% $48

Eating Out

Lilongwe

$136 21.3%

Da Nang

$67 7.8% 50.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lilongwe

$118 18.4%

Da Nang

$91 10.6% 22.7% $27

Accommodation & Living

Lilongwe

$85 13.3%

Da Nang

$349 40.4% 311% $264

Sport & Entertainment

Lilongwe

$31 * 4.9%

Da Nang

$31 3.6% 0.4% $0.1

Getting Around

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.3%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 52.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lilongwe

- * 0%

Da Nang

$114 13.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $532 in Lilongwe versus $529 in Da Nang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Da Nang, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Lilongwe versus $20.00 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $201 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

16:11 4:11 PM

5 h ahead of Lilongwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

781,538 Capital

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,930 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MWK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lilongwe Da Nang 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lilongwe
Da Nang

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 Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $639 in Lilongwe, $863 in Da Nang – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $959 per month in Lilongwe and $1,295 in Da Nang. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Da Nang – 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 $34.00 in Lilongwe and $20.00 in Da Nang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lilongwe, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Da Nang at $863. In Lilongwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Da Nang it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $639 in Lilongwe to $863 in Da Nang. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lilongwe. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Da Nang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.