Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malawi and Morocco

For one person, living is cheaper in Malawi: $682 a month against $778 in Morocco, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Morocco outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Malawi
Morocco
🇲🇼 Malawi
$682
/mo nomad
🇲🇦 Morocco
$778
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malawi and in Morocco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Malawi versus $778 in Morocco.

  • Malawi $682
  • Morocco $778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,197 in Malawi versus $1,186 in Morocco.

  • Malawi $1,197
  • Morocco $1,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,713 in Malawi versus $1,593 in Morocco.

  • Malawi $1,713
  • Morocco $1,593

Internal cost variation is higher in Morocco: monthly costs span $557 to $1,040, compared to $275–$641 in Malawi. City choice carries more weight in Morocco.

Living in Malawi costs about 12% less than in Morocco on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Malawi 50% lower, Morocco 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.93 MWK 8,464
$4.00 MAD 39.34
23.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.60 MWK 50.8K
$25.71 MAD 253
15.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.31 MWK 10.8K
$6.80 MAD 66.8
-7.21%
Cappuccino
$3.50 MWK 6,018
$1.63 MAD 16.04
114.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 MWK 1,901
$0.63 MAD 6.18
76.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 MWK 783
$0.35 MAD 3.46
31.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 MWK 3,043
$4.14 MAD 40.67
-57.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 MWK 5,895
$4.08 MAD 40.08
-15.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 MWK 2,119
$0.90 MAD 8.86
36.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 MWK 2,410
$0.61 MAD 5.98
129.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 MWK 2,820
$1.66 MAD 16.28
-1.20%
Eggs
$2.06 MWK 3,534
$1.80 MAD 17.70
14.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.37 MWK 12.6K
$9.91 MAD 97.3
-25.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.32 MWK 7,421
$5.92 MAD 58.2
-27.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.59 MWK 9,599
$10.61 MAD 104
-47.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.49 MWK 4,274
$1.42 MAD 13.94
75.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 MWK 3,122
$1.35 MAD 13.30
34.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 MWK 3,881
$0.78 MAD 7.69
189.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 MWK 2,157
$0.79 MAD 7.71
59.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 MWK 2,344
$0.70 MAD 6.91
95.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 MWK 2,603
$0.75 MAD 7.37
102.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 MWK 568
$0.38 MAD 3.76
-13.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MWK 2,163
$0.56 MAD 5.47
125.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 MWK 4,027
$4.14 MAD 40.70
-43.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.79 MWK 27.1K
$7.31 MAD 71.8
116.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MWK 1,865
$2.47 MAD 24.24
-55.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MWK 4,252
$2.68 MAD 26.31
-7.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 MWK 1,450
$0.52 MAD 5.11
61.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$2.22 MWK 3,809
$23.68 MAD 233
-90.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.57 MWK 984
$0.70 MAD 6.83
-18.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 MWK 4,248
$0.68 MAD 6.72
263.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.21 MWK 3,790
$5.18 MAD 50.9
-57.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.59 MWK 2,737
$1.46 MAD 14.38
8.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K MWK 61.2M
$31.1K MAD 305.0K
14.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K MWK 67.6M
$30.9K MAD 303.4K
27.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.40 MWK 67.6K
$39.24 MAD 385
0.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.45 MWK 17.9K
$10.86 MAD 107
-3.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.0 MWK 120.1K
$37.75 MAD 371
85.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.02 MWK 63.6K
$24.10 MAD 237
53.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.67 MWK 25.2K
$18.91 MAD 186
-22.42%
Cinema Ticket
-
$6.23 MAD 61.2
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$372 MWK 638.5K
$137 MAD 1,349
170.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$595 MWK 1.0M
$4,155 MAD 40.8K
-85.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.85 MWK 73.6K
$35.33 MAD 347
21.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MWK 69.1K
$42.63 MAD 419
-5.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.95 MWK 82.3K
$82.0 MAD 806
-41.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.6 MWK 123.0K
$61.2 MAD 602
16.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$308 MWK 528.9K
$394 MAD 3,867
-21.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$86.6 MWK 148.8K
$233 MAD 2,287
-62.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 MWK 930.6K
$587 MAD 5,762
-7.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$404 MWK 693.5K
$367 MAD 3,606
10.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,637 MAD 16.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$402 MWK 689.9K
$1,029 MAD 10.1K
-60.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malawi
Morocco
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$311 MWK 533.6K
$453 MAD 4,454
-31.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
4.7
-

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

Last update for Malawi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Morocco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Malawi
$206
Morocco
$187 9.4% $19
Eating Out
Malawi
$122
Morocco
$105 14.4% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malawi
$120
Morocco
$88 26.7% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Malawi
$91
Morocco
$100 9.1% $8.3
Accommodation & Living
Malawi
$87
Morocco
$233 169% $146
Sport & Entertainment
Malawi
$37 *
Morocco
$37 1.2% $0.5
Getting Around
Malawi
$19
Morocco
$30 61.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $384 in Malawi, $292 in Morocco. Capital cities: $545 in Lilongwe vs $572 in Rabat.

National salary averages: $347 in Malawi, $396 in Morocco. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in Malawi.

Public transport is 400% more expensive in Morocco.

Salaries are 14% higher in Morocco.

Good to know
🇲🇼 Malawi
🇲🇦 Morocco
🕒 Local time
21:46 9:46 PM
19:46 7:46 PM
2 h behind Malawi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,622,104
37,076,584
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to MWK – Malawian Kwacha Converter

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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.01 MAD (100 MAD = 9.08 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Malawi Morocco 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Malawi
  • Morocco

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 Morocco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Malawi or Morocco?
At $682 per month in Malawi and $778 in Morocco, Malawi comes out about 12% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Does the cost gap hold in every spending category?
Overall, Malawi is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.
How do I choose between living in Malawi and in Morocco?
It depends on what you’re after: Malawi wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Malawi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?