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

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: Malawi is 17.3% more expensive than China without rent, and 13.9% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Malawi is 19.7% more expensive than China without rent, and 9.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 MWK 8,508

$2.77 ¥19.31

75.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.27 MWK 37.1K

$24.14 ¥169

-11.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 MWK 14.8K

$4.75 ¥33.15

77.89%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MWK 4,907

$3.02 ¥21.06

-6.95%

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

$0.81 MWK 1,420

$0.44 ¥3.06

84.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MWK 819

$0.27 ¥1.87

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 MWK 2,313

$0.96 ¥6.67

38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 MWK 5,003

$2.04 ¥14.21

40.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 MWK 1,831

$1.75 ¥12.21

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 MWK 2,273

$1.69 ¥11.79

-23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MWK 2,699

$0.98 ¥6.85

58.16%

Eggs

$2.37 MWK 4,145

$1.60 ¥11.19

48.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 MWK 13.0K

$13.34 ¥93.1

-44.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 MWK 5,945

$3.27 ¥22.82

4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.47 MWK 9,552

$10.63 ¥74.2

-48.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 MWK 4,119

$1.74 ¥12.16

35.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MWK 2,950

$1.26 ¥8.76

34.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 MWK 3,913

$1.45 ¥10.13

54.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 MWK 2,160

$1.19 ¥8.28

4.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 MWK 2,395

$0.73 ¥5.08

87.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MWK 2,289

$0.86 ¥5.99

52.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 MWK 577

$0.62 ¥4.30

-46.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MWK 2,032

$0.53 ¥3.71

118.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 MWK 4,198

$3.44 ¥24.03

-30.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 MWK 22.0K

$11.63 ¥81.2

8.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MWK 1,696

$0.84 ¥5.88

15.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 MWK 3,370

$1.62 ¥11.30

19.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 MWK 1,640

$0.44 ¥3.07

113.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$2.21 MWK 3,863

$20.71 ¥145

-89.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 MWK 1,064

$1.42 ¥9.91

-57.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MWK 4,299

$0.33 ¥2.27

645.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 MWK 10.8K

$6.51 ¥45.42

-4.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 MWK 2,848

$1.17 ¥8.19

39.32%

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

$35.3K MWK 61.7M

$19.2K ¥133.9K

84.26%

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

$39.3K MWK 68.6M

$16.6K ¥116.1K

136.13%

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

$47.92 MWK 83.6K

$51.4 ¥359

-6.79%

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

$10.30 MWK 18.0K

$9.63 ¥67.2

6.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 MWK 122.9K

$11.22 ¥78.3

527.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.04 MWK 78.6K

$39.09 ¥273

15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 MWK 26.3K

$14.70 ¥103

2.52%

Cinema Ticket

$3.99 MWK 6,957

$6.14 ¥42.89

-35.02%

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

$376 MWK 657.2K

$416 ¥2,905

-9.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,454 MWK 2.5M

$17.9K ¥125.0K

-91.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.95 MWK 71.5K

$45.24 ¥316

-9.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.04 MWK 61.2K

$32.59 ¥228

7.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.6 MWK 102.3K

$73.0 ¥509

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 MWK 123.3K

$72.8 ¥508

-2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 MWK 358.1K

$432 ¥3,018

-52.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.9 MWK 142.9K

$253 ¥1,767

-67.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 MWK 779.5K

$923 ¥6,441

-51.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 MWK 609.6K

$546 ¥3,811

-36.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,324 ¥37.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$393 MWK 686.0K

$2,784 ¥19.4K

-85.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$314 MWK 548.8K

$1,037 ¥7,240

-69.69%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

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