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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lilongwe is 2.7% cheaper than Semey without rent, and 17.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Lilongwe is 19.5% more expensive than Semey without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 MWK 8,619

$4.34 ₸2,040

13.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.85 MWK 55.5K

$27.83 ₸13.1K

14.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

$4.85 ₸2,284

110.10%

Cappuccino

$3.09 MWK 5,384

$1.52 ₸713

103.29%

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

$0.96 MWK 1,681

$0.92 ₸434

4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MWK 730

$0.51 ₸242

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 MWK 2,952

$1.15 ₸539

46.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 MWK 6,861

$1.88 ₸887

109.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 MWK 1,635

$0.70 ₸329

34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 MWK 2,096

$0.34 ₸161

252.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MWK 3,077

$1.63 ₸768

7.98%

Eggs

$2.61 MWK 4,553

$1.27 ₸600

105.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 MWK 27.6K

$9.05 ₸4,257

74.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 MWK 5,591

$4.62 ₸2,174

-30.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.00 MWK 6,969

$7.24 ₸3,404

-44.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MWK 4,458

$1.33 ₸626

92.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 MWK 1,700

$1.89 ₸888

-48.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 MWK 2,559

$1.98 ₸934

-25.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MWK 2,751

$1.97 ₸925

-19.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MWK 2,321

$0.54 ₸255

146.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MWK 2,098

$0.40 ₸189

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ₸444

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MWK 1,048

$0.77 ₸360

-22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 MWK 2,752

$2.55 ₸1,202

-38.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.62 MWK 25.5K

$6.83 ₸3,212

114.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MWK 1,892

$1.01 ₸474

7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 MWK 3,236

$1.53 ₸722

21.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 MWK 1,680

$0.20 ₸92.4

380.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.42 MWK 7,705

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₸447

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 MWK 4,396

$0.62 ₸293

306.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 MWK 3,702

$4.70 ₸2,213

-54.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 MWK 2,868

$0.50 ₸234

230.00%

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

$20.4K ₸9.6M

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

$24.6K ₸11.6M

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

$44.93 MWK 78.3K

$50.3 ₸23.7K

-10.66%

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

$11.92 MWK 20.8K

$8.61 ₸4,051

38.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.4 MWK 107.1K

$12.82 ₸6,033

379.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 MWK 64.0K

$33.18 ₸15.6K

10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 ₸4,641

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 MWK 6,684

$4.42 ₸2,079

-13.35%

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

$351 MWK 612.7K

$214 ₸100.7K

64.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,347 MWK 4.1M

$4,969 ₸2.3M

-52.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₸26.7K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.30 ₸16.6K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 ₸41.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ₸36.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₸145.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.3 MWK 119.1K

$206 ₸97.1K

-66.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 MWK 463.2K

$530 ₸249.5K

-49.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 MWK 979.8K

$396 ₸186.5K

41.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 MWK 481.6K

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Semey: April 11, 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

Similar cities

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

Pune

🇮🇳 India

Gurgaon

🇮🇳 India

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

Goa

🇮🇳 India

Thane

🇮🇳 India

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China