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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lilongwe is 38.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lilongwe is 39.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 45.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 MWK 8,920

$11.85 MX$208

-56.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 MWK 56.2K

$42.16 MX$742

-23.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 MWK 18.0K

$10.75 MX$189

-3.81%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MWK 5,211

$3.47 MX$61.1

-13.54%

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

$0.95 MWK 1,658

$1.45 MX$25.56

-34.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MWK 719

$0.90 MX$15.88

-54.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MWK 3,082

$3.05 MX$53.7

-41.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 MWK 7,123

$4.42 MX$77.7

-7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 MWK 1,736

$1.37 MX$24.09

-27.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MWK 2,064

$1.87 MX$32.93

-36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MWK 2,926

$1.54 MX$27.15

9.09%

Eggs

$2.62 MWK 4,562

$2.50 MX$44.03

4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.95 MWK 27.8K

$8.61 MX$151

85.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 MWK 5,384

$8.63 MX$152

-64.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.95 MWK 6,866

$11.02 MX$194

-64.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MWK 4,505

$2.75 MX$48.36

-5.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 MWK 1,719

$1.43 MX$25.12

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 MWK 2,558

$1.87 MX$32.94

-21.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 MWK 2,636

$2.17 MX$38.13

-29.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 MWK 2,342

$1.88 MX$33.12

-28.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 MWK 2,139

$2.25 MX$39.51

-45.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.78

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 MWK 1,114

$1.07 MX$18.88

-40.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 MWK 2,718

$4.15 MX$73.1

-62.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.31 MWK 24.9K

$10.34 MX$182

38.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MWK 1,825

$1.68 MX$29.54

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 MWK 3,242

$2.48 MX$43.69

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 MWK 1,550

$0.55 MX$9.76

61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.44 MWK 7,719

$26.53 MX$467

-83.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$56.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MWK 4,422

$2.48 MX$43.65

2.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 MWK 3,713

$3.11 MX$54.7

-31.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MWK 2,762

$1.26 MX$22.09

26.19%

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

$30.7K MX$539.3K

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

$24.0K MX$422.8K

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

$45.36 MWK 78.9K

$82.5 MX$1,451

-45.00%

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

$11.64 MWK 20.3K

$22.29 MX$392

-47.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 MWK 110.2K

$30.02 MX$528

110.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 MWK 65.6K

$51.4 MX$905

-26.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$322

Cinema Ticket

$4.03 MWK 7,004

$4.98 MX$87.7

-19.08%

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

$346 MWK 602.6K

$200 MX$3,518

73.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,394 MWK 4.2M

$5,304 MX$93.3K

-54.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$628

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$696

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,417

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,554

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$66.8 MWK 116.2K

$482 MX$8,482

-86.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 MWK 468.6K

$1,595 MX$28.1K

-83.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 MWK 976.1K

$1,184 MX$20.8K

-52.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$273 MWK 474.9K

$756 MX$13.3K

-63.91%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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