Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $641 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
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Lilongwe Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$641

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lilongwe and in Tbilisi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lilongwe and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Lilongwe versus $1,270 in Tbilisi.

Lilongwe $641
Tbilisi $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,277 in Lilongwe versus $2,008 in Tbilisi.

Lilongwe $1,277
Tbilisi $2,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Lilongwe versus $2,745 in Tbilisi.

Lilongwe $1,913
Tbilisi $2,745

Living in Lilongwe costs roughly 50% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lilongwe 53% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MWK 8,555

$11.51 ₾29.79

-56.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.36 MWK 59.0K

$38.27 ₾99.1

-10.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

$9.80 ₾25.36

3.16%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MWK 5,654

$3.55 ₾9.19

-7.32%

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

$1.23 MWK 2,109

$1.06 ₾2.74

16.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 MWK 1,026

$0.62 ₾1.60

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MWK 3,850

$2.76 ₾7.16

-18.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MWK 6,875

$3.00 ₾7.77

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MWK 2,204

$2.16 ₾5.59

-40.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MWK 3,145

$0.76 ₾1.96

140.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MWK 3,005

$1.74 ₾4.51

0.57%

Eggs

$2.88 MWK 4,952

$2.79 ₾7.21

3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.02 MWK 27.5K

$9.20 ₾23.83

74.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 MWK 8,746

$6.53 ₾16.89

-22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.92 MWK 6,735

$12.81 ₾33.17

-69.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 MWK 4,370

$1.67 ₾4.31

52.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 MWK 2,083

$1.85 ₾4.79

-34.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 MWK 2,501

$1.98 ₾5.13

-26.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MWK 3,809

$2.51 ₾6.49

-11.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 MWK 3,546

$0.87 ₾2.26

137.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MWK 1,700

$0.73 ₾1.89

35.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MWK 1,763

$0.72 ₾1.88

43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 MWK 4,072

$3.38 ₾8.74

-29.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.72 MWK 40.7K

$7.84 ₾20.31

202.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MWK 2,042

$1.62 ₾4.19

-26.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MWK 4,412

$2.38 ₾6.15

7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 MWK 1,551

$0.37 ₾0.96

143.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.28 MWK 7,341

$15.52 ₾40.16

-72.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MWK 4,355

$0.79 ₾2.05

221.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 MWK 3,776

$11.57 ₾29.96

-80.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MWK 2,679

$1.50 ₾3.87

4.00%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

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

$45.36 MWK 77.9K

$88.3 ₾228

-48.60%

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

$11.62 MWK 20.0K

$13.08 ₾33.86

-11.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 MWK 103.6K

$19.53 ₾50.6

208.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.44 MWK 52.3K

$64.2 ₾166

-52.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

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

$350 MWK 601.5K

$373 ₾966

-6.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 MWK 933.2K

$677 ₾1,753

-19.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 MWK 147.0K

$454 ₾1,176

-81.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MWK 992.6K

$1,277 ₾3,305

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 MWK 1.2M

$890 ₾2,304

-22.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$370 MWK 635.2K

$703 ₾1,819

-47.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Lilongwe: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Lilongwe

$251 * 39.1%

Tbilisi

$233 18.3% 7.2% $18

Eating Out

Lilongwe

$136 21.3%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 39.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lilongwe

$117 18.3%

Tbilisi

$121 9.5% 3% $3.5

Accommodation & Living

Lilongwe

$86 13.4%

Tbilisi

$454 35.8% 431% $369

Sport & Entertainment

Lilongwe

$30 * 4.8%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 157% $48

Getting Around

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.2%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 7.4% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lilongwe

- * 0%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $544 in Lilongwe and $677 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 90% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34.00 in Lilongwe vs $38.00 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $233, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

2 h ahead of Lilongwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

781,538 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,930 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to MWK in detail →

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Between locations

Lilongwe Tbilisi 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Lilongwe
Tbilisi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lilongwe is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 98% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Tbilisi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $544 in Lilongwe versus $677 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lilongwe – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $641 in Lilongwe versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lilongwe but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Lilongwe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lilongwe is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lilongwe and Tbilisi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lilongwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.