Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Lilongwe is 40.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lilongwe is 30.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 44.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 MWK 8,620

$11.88 MX$210

-58.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.06 MWK 56.0K

$41.90 MX$740

-23.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

$10.55 MX$186

-3.41%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MWK 5,149

$3.60 MX$63.5

-18.06%

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

$0.92 MWK 1,601

$1.50 MX$26.45

-38.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MWK 732

$0.91 MX$16.09

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MWK 3,088

$3.08 MX$54.4

-42.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 MWK 6,888

$4.47 MX$78.8

-11.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 MWK 1,766

$1.39 MX$24.54

-27.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MWK 2,149

$1.90 MX$33.47

-35.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MWK 2,944

$1.60 MX$28.27

5.62%

Eggs

$2.64 MWK 4,602

$2.60 MX$45.97

1.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.54 MWK 27.1K

$8.36 MX$148

85.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 MWK 5,644

$8.64 MX$152

-62.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.06 MWK 7,082

$10.91 MX$192

-62.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MWK 4,552

$2.61 MX$45.98

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 MWK 1,694

$1.44 MX$25.46

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 MWK 2,556

$1.96 MX$34.55

-25.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MWK 2,736

$2.12 MX$37.34

-25.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 MWK 2,374

$1.86 MX$32.87

-26.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MWK 2,114

$2.22 MX$39.20

-45.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MWK 1,136

$1.04 MX$18.36

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 MWK 2,813

$4.05 MX$71.5

-60.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.66 MWK 25.6K

$10.18 MX$180

44.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MWK 1,891

$1.69 MX$29.79

-36.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MWK 3,235

$2.62 MX$46.25

-29.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MWK 1,541

$0.51 MX$9.09

72.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.28 MWK 7,467

$26.52 MX$468

-83.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 MWK 4,398

$2.46 MX$43.49

2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 MWK 3,742

$3.26 MX$57.5

-34.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 MWK 2,788

$1.32 MX$23.36

21.21%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

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

$45.13 MWK 78.8K

$83.5 MX$1,474

-45.97%

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

$11.87 MWK 20.7K

$22.86 MX$404

-48.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 MWK 111.0K

$30.04 MX$530

111.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 MWK 64.6K

$51.9 MX$916

-28.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$3.91 MWK 6,828

$5.12 MX$90.4

-23.63%

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

$351 MWK 613.1K

$201 MX$3,541

75.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,375 MWK 4.1M

$5,318 MX$93.9K

-55.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 MWK 118.8K

$483 MX$8,525

-85.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 MWK 463.9K

$1,599 MX$28.2K

-83.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MWK 967.2K

$1,211 MX$21.4K

-54.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K MWK 28.4M

$3,996 MX$70.5K

306.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 MWK 487.7K

$730 MX$12.9K

-61.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

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

Last update for Lilongwe: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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