Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lilongwe and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $641 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
Learn more

Lilongwe Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$641

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lilongwe and in Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Lilongwe versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Lilongwe $641
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,277 in Lilongwe versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Lilongwe $1,277
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Lilongwe versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Lilongwe $1,913
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Lilongwe costs roughly 53% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lilongwe is 53% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MWK 8,555

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

54.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.36 MWK 59.0K

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

-1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

77.37%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MWK 5,654

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

25.57%

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

$1.23 MWK 2,109

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 MWK 1,026

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MWK 3,850

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

-15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MWK 6,875

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-8.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MWK 2,204

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MWK 3,145

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-16.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MWK 3,005

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

48.31%

Eggs

$2.88 MWK 4,952

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.02 MWK 27.5K

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-9.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 MWK 8,746

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

34.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.92 MWK 6,735

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

-67.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 MWK 4,370

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 MWK 2,083

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 MWK 2,501

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-36.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MWK 3,809

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

16.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 MWK 3,546

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

16.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MWK 1,700

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-57.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MWK 1,763

$0.53 Rp 9,509

94.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 MWK 4,072

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

3.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.72 MWK 40.7K

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MWK 2,042

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-49.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MWK 4,412

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-13.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 MWK 1,551

$0.23 Rp 4,112

291.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.28 MWK 7,341

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

-51.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MWK 4,355

$0.43 Rp 7,737

490.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 MWK 3,776

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

-59.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MWK 2,679

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

87.95%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

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

$45.36 MWK 77.9K

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

-43.29%

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

$11.62 MWK 20.0K

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

77.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 MWK 103.6K

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

224.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.44 MWK 52.3K

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-43.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

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

$350 MWK 601.5K

$493 Rp 8.9M

-28.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 MWK 933.2K

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-51.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 MWK 147.0K

$673 Rp 12.1M

-87.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MWK 992.6K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-84.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 MWK 1.2M

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-59.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$370 MWK 635.2K

$166 Rp 3.0M

122.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Lilongwe: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lilongwe

$251 * 39.1%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 14.5% $36

Eating Out

Lilongwe

$136 21.3%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 21.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lilongwe

$117 18.3%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 10.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Lilongwe

$86 13.4%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 686% $587

Sport & Entertainment

Lilongwe

$30 * 4.8%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 106% $32

Getting Around

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.2%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 39.6% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lilongwe

- * 0%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lilongwe pays 122% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in Lilongwe vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $287 per month, with Lilongwe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

6 h ahead of Lilongwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

781,538 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MWK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lilongwe Ubud, Bali 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lilongwe
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lilongwe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. The 111% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 122% higher in Lilongwe, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $544 in Lilongwe versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lilongwe – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $641 in Lilongwe versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lilongwe but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. 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 Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lilongwe and Ubud, Bali 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 111% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.