Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Semey Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Semey

😐 Solo nomad: Lilongwe is 3.9% more expensive than Semey without rent, and 13% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lilongwe is 10.1% cheaper than Semey without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 MWK 8,620

$4.49 ₸2,295

10.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.06 MWK 56.0K

$26.99 ₸13.8K

18.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

$4.86 ₸2,484

109.67%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MWK 5,149

$1.51 ₸771

95.36%

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

$0.92 MWK 1,601

$0.92 ₸469

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MWK 732

$0.56 ₸288

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MWK 3,088

$1.16 ₸591

52.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 MWK 6,888

$1.90 ₸972

107.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 MWK 1,766

$0.69 ₸351

46.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MWK 2,149

$0.32 ₸162

284.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MWK 2,944

$1.67 ₸850

1.20%

Eggs

$2.64 MWK 4,602

$1.33 ₸678

98.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.54 MWK 27.1K

$8.90 ₸4,543

74.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 MWK 5,644

$4.52 ₸2,309

-28.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.06 MWK 7,082

$6.94 ₸3,541

-41.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MWK 4,552

$1.30 ₸661

100.77%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 MWK 1,694

$1.89 ₸964

-48.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 MWK 2,556

$1.90 ₸968

-23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MWK 2,736

$1.94 ₸992

-19.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 MWK 2,374

$0.56 ₸284

142.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MWK 2,114

$0.40 ₸204

202.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₸512

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MWK 1,136

$0.73 ₸371

-10.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 MWK 2,813

$2.69 ₸1,376

-40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.66 MWK 25.6K

$6.10 ₸3,116

140.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MWK 1,891

$1.00 ₸512

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MWK 3,235

$1.54 ₸784

20.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MWK 1,541

$0.17 ₸87.4

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.28 MWK 7,467

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₸513

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 MWK 4,398

$0.67 ₸345

276.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 MWK 3,742

$4.80 ₸2,452

-55.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 MWK 2,788

$0.50 ₸253

220.00%

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

$19.8K ₸10.1M

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

$24.7K ₸12.6M

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

$45.13 MWK 78.8K

$50.9 ₸26.0K

-11.28%

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

$11.87 MWK 20.7K

$8.54 ₸4,359

38.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 MWK 111.0K

$12.64 ₸6,453

403.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 MWK 64.6K

$32.61 ₸16.7K

13.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 ₸4,863

Cinema Ticket

$3.91 MWK 6,828

$4.42 ₸2,255

-11.54%

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

$351 MWK 613.1K

$209 ₸106.9K

67.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,375 MWK 4.1M

$4,783 ₸2.4M

-50.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 ₸29.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.41 ₸18.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 ₸45.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 ₸39.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 ₸160.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 MWK 118.8K

$204 ₸104.4K

-66.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 MWK 463.9K

$515 ₸262.7K

-48.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MWK 967.2K

$386 ₸197.3K

43.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K MWK 28.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 MWK 487.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

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

Last update for Lilongwe: January 11, 2026

Last update for Semey: 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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