Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malawi and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Malawi: $682 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Malawi
Learn more

Malawi Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇼 Malawi

$682

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malawi and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Malawi versus $1,843 in Italy.

Malawi $682
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,197 in Malawi versus $2,816 in Italy.

Malawi $1,197
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,713 in Malawi versus $3,788 in Italy.

Malawi $1,713
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $275–$641 in Malawi. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Malawi costs about 63% less than in Italy on average.

Malawi (50% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 MWK 8,464

$20.46 €18.25

-75.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.60 MWK 50.8K

$79.5 €70.9

-62.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.31 MWK 10.8K

$11.15 €9.95

-43.41%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MWK 6,018

$2.04 €1.82

71.57%

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

$1.11 MWK 1,901

$3.10 €2.77

-64.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MWK 783

$1.40 €1.25

-67.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MWK 3,043

$5.51 €4.92

-67.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 MWK 5,895

$5.74 €5.12

-40.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MWK 2,119

$1.57 €1.40

-21.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 MWK 2,410

$2.38 €2.12

-41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MWK 2,820

$2.90 €2.59

-43.45%

Eggs

$2.06 MWK 3,534

$4.07 €3.63

-49.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 MWK 12.6K

$17.44 €15.56

-57.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MWK 7,421

$12.56 €11.20

-65.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MWK 9,599

$20.17 €17.99

-72.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 MWK 4,274

$2.58 €2.30

-3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MWK 3,122

$2.19 €1.95

-16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MWK 3,881

$2.68 €2.39

-15.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 MWK 2,157

$3.27 €2.91

-61.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 MWK 2,344

$1.90 €1.70

-27.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 MWK 2,603

$1.82 €1.62

-16.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 MWK 568

$1.57 €1.40

-78.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MWK 2,163

$0.55 €0.49

129.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 MWK 4,027

$6.69 €5.97

-64.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.79 MWK 27.1K

$7.99 €7.13

97.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MWK 1,865

$1.77 €1.58

-38.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MWK 4,252

$2.35 €2.10

5.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MWK 1,450

$1.91 €1.70

-56.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$2.22 MWK 3,809

$43.44 €38.75

-94.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 MWK 984

$5.62 €5.01

-89.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 MWK 4,248

$1.71 €1.53

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MWK 3,790

$33.64 €30.01

-93.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MWK 2,737

$2.03 €1.81

-21.67%

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

$35.7K MWK 61.2M

$35.3K €31.5K

0.98%

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

$39.3K MWK 67.6M

$36.7K €32.8K

7.06%

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

$39.40 MWK 67.6K

$227 €202

-82.61%

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

$10.45 MWK 17.9K

$11.59 €10.34

-9.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 MWK 120.1K

$30.38 €27.11

130.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.02 MWK 63.6K

$51.8 €46.19

-28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 MWK 25.2K

$23.70 €21.14

-38.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.46

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

$372 MWK 638.5K

$568 €506

-34.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$595 MWK 1.0M

$11.5K €10.3K

-94.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 MWK 73.6K

$90.5 €80.8

-52.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MWK 69.1K

$38.55 €34.40

4.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.95 MWK 82.3K

$103 €91.6

-53.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 MWK 123.0K

$131 €117

-45.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 MWK 528.9K

$826 €737

-62.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.6 MWK 148.8K

$646 €577

-86.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 MWK 930.6K

$1,400 €1,249

-61.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 MWK 693.5K

$1,054 €941

-61.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,267

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$402 MWK 689.9K

$2,301 €2,053

-82.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$311 MWK 533.6K

$1,886 €1,683

-83.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

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

Last update for Malawi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malawi

$206 30.2%

Italy

$348 18.9% 69% $142

Eating Out

Malawi

$122 18%

Italy

$279 15.1% 128% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malawi

$120 17.6%

Italy

$269 14.6% 124% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Malawi

$91 13.4%

Italy

$163 8.9% 78.9% $72

Accommodation & Living

Malawi

$87 12.7%

Italy

$646 35.1% 646% $560

Sport & Entertainment

Malawi

$37 * 5.4%

Italy

$73 4% 97.1% $36

Getting Around

Malawi

$19 2.7%

Italy

$65 3.5% 252% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $384 in Malawi, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $545 in Lilongwe vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $347 in Malawi, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 90% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 204% more in Italy.

Public transport is 975% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 5.4 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇲🇼 Malawi

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

1 h behind Malawi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,622,104

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇼 Malawian Kwacha (MK)

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,924 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MWK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malawi Italy 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Malawi
Italy

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

Malawi vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $682 in Malawi, Malawi comes out about 63% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Malawi: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $384 in Malawi. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Malawi, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Malawi wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.