Cost of Living Comparison Between Malawi and Australia Cost of Living Comparison Between Malawi and Australia

🙂 Solo nomad: Malawi is 41.4% cheaper than Australia without rent, and 70.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Malawi is 45.5% cheaper than Australia without rent, and 63.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.91 MWK 8,439
$15.97 A$24.47
-69.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.68 MWK 37.2K
$77.2 A$118
-71.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.75 MWK 15K
$9.66 A$14.8
-9.42%
Cappuccino
$2.81 MWK 4,828
$3.57 A$5.48
-21.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MWK 1,480
$2.64 A$4.04
-67.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 MWK 734
$2.22 A$3.41
-80.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.32 MWK 2,266
$6.57 A$10.06
-79.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 MWK 5,109
$6.98 A$10.7
-57.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 MWK 1,736
$1.5 A$2.3
-32.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 MWK 2,182
$2.42 A$3.7
-47.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MWK 2,649
$2.02 A$3.1
-23.76%
Eggs
$2.26 MWK 3,888
$4.38 A$6.71
-48.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.4 MWK 12.7K
$8.86 A$13.58
-16.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 MWK 5,748
$8.26 A$12.66
-59.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.52 MWK 9,471
$14.14 A$21.66
-60.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 MWK 4,207
$3.24 A$4.96
-24.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 MWK 2,986
$2.68 A$4.11
-35.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 MWK 3,884
$2.86 A$4.39
-20.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 MWK 2,122
$4.25 A$6.5
-70.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 MWK 2,379
$2.55 A$3.91
-45.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 MWK 2,378
$2.19 A$3.35
-36.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 MWK 577
$2.24 A$3.43
-84.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 MWK 1,932
$1.57 A$2.41
-28.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.42 MWK 4,158
$31.36 A$48.04
-92.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.42 MWK 21.3K
$13.32 A$20.41
-6.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 MWK 1,612
$4.61 A$7.06
-79.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 MWK 3,347
$4.97 A$7.61
-60.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Malawi
Australia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.02 MWK 1,744
$2.97 A$4.54
-65.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$2.13 MWK 3,661
$98 A$150
-97.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.57 MWK 977
$3.62 A$5.55
-84.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 MWK 4,234
$1.82 A$2.79
35.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.94 MWK 10.2K
$37.78 A$57.9
-84.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 MWK 2,806
$1.2 A$1.84
35.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.2K MWK 60.5M
$29.1K A$44.6K
21.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K MWK 66M
$22.5K A$34.5K
70.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$47.9 MWK 82.2K
$180 A$276
-73.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.39 MWK 17.8K
$26.23 A$40.19
-60.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.4 MWK 122.6K
$52.8 A$80.9
35.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.82 MWK 77K
$46.77 A$71.7
-4.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.77 MWK 25.4K
$16.37 A$25.08
-9.77%
Cinema Ticket
$3.99 MWK 6,859
$13.82 A$21.18
-71.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$380 MWK 652.9K
$1,599 A$2,450
-76.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,471 MWK 2.5M
$12.3K A$18.8K
-88.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.07 MWK 72.2K
$71.7 A$110
-41.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.19 MWK 58.7K
$51.5 A$78.8
-33.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.5 MWK 102.2K
$101 A$155
-41.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.3 MWK 120.7K
$110 A$168
-35.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malawi
Australia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$205 MWK 352.1K
$1,395 A$2,137
-85.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$81.6 MWK 140.1K
$1,106 A$1,694
-92.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 MWK 755.3K
$2,271 A$3,480
-80.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$356 MWK 610.9K
$1,775 A$2,719
-79.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$16.1K MWK 27.6M
$6,985 A$10.7K
129.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$397 MWK 681.1K
$5,106 A$7,823
-92.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malawi
Australia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$311 MWK 533.4K
$3,626 A$5,555
-91.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
6.35
-

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

Last update for Malawi: October 27, 2025

Last update for Australia: October 29, 2025

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