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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lilongwe is 39.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 54.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lilongwe is 22.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 44.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 MWK 8,619

$11.61 MX$201

-57.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.85 MWK 55.5K

$42.75 MX$739

-25.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

$10.60 MX$183

-3.87%

Cappuccino

$3.09 MWK 5,384

$3.59 MX$62.0

-13.93%

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

$0.96 MWK 1,681

$1.45 MX$25.10

-33.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MWK 730

$0.90 MX$15.52

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 MWK 2,952

$3.03 MX$52.4

-44.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 MWK 6,861

$4.56 MX$78.8

-13.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 MWK 1,635

$1.45 MX$25.10

-35.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 MWK 2,096

$1.83 MX$31.59

-34.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MWK 3,077

$1.61 MX$27.80

9.32%

Eggs

$2.61 MWK 4,553

$2.54 MX$43.87

2.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 MWK 27.6K

$8.54 MX$148

85.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 MWK 5,591

$8.47 MX$146

-62.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.00 MWK 6,969

$10.86 MX$188

-63.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MWK 4,458

$2.73 MX$47.18

-6.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 MWK 1,700

$1.49 MX$25.80

-34.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 MWK 2,559

$1.94 MX$33.59

-24.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MWK 2,751

$2.16 MX$37.42

-26.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MWK 2,321

$1.85 MX$31.92

-28.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MWK 2,098

$2.19 MX$37.84

-45.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MWK 1,048

$1.08 MX$18.73

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 MWK 2,752

$4.06 MX$70.2

-61.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.62 MWK 25.5K

$10.46 MX$181

39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MWK 1,892

$1.65 MX$28.59

-33.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 MWK 3,236

$2.55 MX$44.06

-27.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 MWK 1,680

$0.56 MX$9.61

71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.42 MWK 7,705

$26.20 MX$453

-83.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 MWK 4,396

$2.37 MX$41.00

6.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 MWK 3,702

$3.24 MX$56.0

-34.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 MWK 2,868

$1.31 MX$22.72

25.95%

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

$30.5K MX$528.0K

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

$23.8K MX$411.9K

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

$44.93 MWK 78.3K

$83.1 MX$1,438

-45.96%

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

$11.92 MWK 20.8K

$22.15 MX$383

-46.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.4 MWK 107.1K

$29.37 MX$508

109.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 MWK 64.0K

$51.2 MX$885

-28.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 MWK 6,684

$4.89 MX$84.5

-21.68%

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

$351 MWK 612.7K

$199 MX$3,435

76.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,347 MWK 4.1M

$5,207 MX$90.0K

-54.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$681

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,388

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,514

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.3 MWK 119.1K

$482 MX$8,336

-85.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 MWK 463.2K

$1,645 MX$28.4K

-83.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 MWK 979.8K

$1,192 MX$20.6K

-52.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 MWK 481.6K

$726 MX$12.6K

-61.97%

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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