Cost of Living Comparison Between Malawi and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Malawi and China

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: Malawi is 25% more expensive than China without rent, and 16% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Malawi is 19.4% more expensive than China without rent, and 10% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.91 MWK 8,439

$2.85 ¥20.46

72.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.68 MWK 37.2K

$23.97 ¥172

-9.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 MWK 15K

$4.96 ¥35.61

76.41%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MWK 4,828

$3.13 ¥22.47

-10.22%

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

$0.86 MWK 1,480

$0.44 ¥3.18

95.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MWK 734

$0.29 ¥2.1

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 MWK 2,266

$0.95 ¥6.83

38.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 MWK 5,109

$2.14 ¥15.32

39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 MWK 1,736

$1.85 ¥13.23

-45.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 MWK 2,182

$1.68 ¥12.06

-24.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MWK 2,649

$0.95 ¥6.81

62.11%

Eggs

$2.26 MWK 3,888

$1.55 ¥11.11

45.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.4 MWK 12.7K

$13.25 ¥95.1

-44.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 MWK 5,748

$3.28 ¥23.52

2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.52 MWK 9,471

$10.85 ¥77.8

-49.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 MWK 4,207

$1.77 ¥12.66

38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MWK 2,986

$1.26 ¥9.01

38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MWK 3,884

$1.5 ¥10.73

50.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 MWK 2,122

$1.19 ¥8.5

4.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MWK 2,379

$0.75 ¥5.4

85.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MWK 2,378

$0.86 ¥6.15

61.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 MWK 577

$0.61 ¥4.37

-44.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MWK 1,932

$0.58 ¥4.14

94.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 MWK 4,158

$3.45 ¥24.74

-29.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 MWK 21.3K

$11.3 ¥81.1

9.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MWK 1,612

$0.84 ¥6

11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 MWK 3,347

$1.68 ¥12.05

16.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 MWK 1,744

$0.4 ¥2.86

155.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$2.13 MWK 3,661

$20.83 ¥149

-89.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 MWK 977

$1.36 ¥9.74

-58.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 MWK 4,234

$0.35 ¥2.55

605.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 MWK 10.2K

$6.8 ¥48.75

-12.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 MWK 2,806

$1.12 ¥8.05

45.54%

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

$35.2K MWK 60.5M

$19.2K ¥137.7K

83.52%

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

$38.4K MWK 66M

$16.7K ¥119.8K

130.15%

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

$47.9 MWK 82.2K

$51.4 ¥369

-6.86%

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

$10.39 MWK 17.8K

$9.77 ¥70.1

6.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 MWK 122.6K

$11.34 ¥81.3

529.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 MWK 77K

$39.55 ¥284

13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 MWK 25.4K

$14.89 ¥107

-0.81%

Cinema Ticket

$3.99 MWK 6,859

$6.23 ¥44.71

-35.96%

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

$380 MWK 652.9K

$417 ¥2,989

-8.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,471 MWK 2.5M

$17.7K ¥126.8K

-91.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.07 MWK 72.2K

$45.65 ¥327

-7.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 MWK 58.7K

$33.49 ¥240

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 MWK 102.2K

$71.8 ¥515

-17.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.3 MWK 120.7K

$72.9 ¥523

-3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 MWK 352.1K

$445 ¥3,194

-53.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.6 MWK 140.1K

$255 ¥1,830

-68.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 MWK 755.3K

$915 ¥6,566

-51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 MWK 610.9K

$543 ¥3,895

-34.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K MWK 27.6M

$6,142 ¥44.1K

161.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$397 MWK 681.1K

$2,860 ¥20.5K

-86.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$311 MWK 533.4K

$942 ¥6,755

-67.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

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

Last update for Malawi: October 27, 2025

Last update for China: October 29, 2025

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