Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Odesa and Lilongwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lilongwe: $641 a month against $810 in Odesa, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Odesa
Learn more

Odesa Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lilongwe
Learn more

Lilongwe Living Index

Jump to prices

Odesa

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$810

/mo nomad

Lilongwe

🇲🇼 Malawi

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Odesa and in Lilongwe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $810 in Odesa versus $641 in Lilongwe.

Odesa $810
Lilongwe $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,306 in Odesa versus $1,277 in Lilongwe.

Odesa $1,306
Lilongwe $1,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,801 in Odesa versus $1,913 in Lilongwe.

Odesa $1,801
Lilongwe $1,913

Living in Odesa is roughly 26% more expensive than in Lilongwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Odesa 40% lower, Lilongwe 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.83 ₴352

$4.98 MWK 8,555

57.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 ₴1,574

$34.36 MWK 59.0K

2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ₴252

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

-44.51%

Cappuccino

$1.55 ₴69.5

$3.29 MWK 5,654

-52.89%

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

$0.85 ₴38.13

$1.23 MWK 2,109

-30.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₴35.38

$0.60 MWK 1,026

31.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 ₴78.5

$2.24 MWK 3,850

-21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₴96.1

$4.00 MWK 6,875

-46.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ₴58.6

$1.28 MWK 2,204

2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 ₴32.89

$1.83 MWK 3,145

-60.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₴78.8

$1.75 MWK 3,005

0.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ₴93.7

$2.88 MWK 4,952

-27.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₴436

$16.02 MWK 27.5K

-39.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 ₴238

$5.09 MWK 8,746

4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.06 ₴317

$3.92 MWK 6,735

80.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 ₴55.9

$2.55 MWK 4,370

-51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₴67.2

$1.21 MWK 2,083

23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ₴90.6

$1.46 MWK 2,501

38.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 ₴137

$2.22 MWK 3,809

37.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ₴32.84

$2.07 MWK 3,546

-64.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ₴20.98

$0.99 MWK 1,700

-52.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 ₴69.7

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₴23.66

$1.03 MWK 1,763

-48.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₴134

$2.37 MWK 4,072

26.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 ₴251

$23.72 MWK 40.7K

-76.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₴39.36

$1.19 MWK 2,042

-26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₴68.0

$2.57 MWK 4,412

-41.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ₴18.87

$0.90 MWK 1,551

-53.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.19 ₴906

$4.28 MWK 7,341

371.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₴80.8

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ₴15.54

$2.54 MWK 4,355

-86.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 ₴198

$2.20 MWK 3,776

100.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ₴80.7

$1.56 MWK 2,679

15.38%

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

$29.5K ₴1.3M

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

$24.9K ₴1.1M

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

$112 ₴5,011

$45.36 MWK 77.9K

146.10%

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

$6.91 ₴310

$11.62 MWK 20.0K

-40.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.48 ₴291

$60.3 MWK 103.6K

-89.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.15 ₴994

$30.44 MWK 52.3K

-27.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 ₴575

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 ₴253

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

$257 ₴11.5K

$350 MWK 601.5K

-26.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,745 ₴168.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.0 ₴2,962

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.68 ₴1,961

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 ₴3,906

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ₴4,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 ₴15.4K

$544 MWK 933.2K

-36.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₴8,426

$85.6 MWK 147.0K

119.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 ₴26.7K

$578 MWK 992.6K

2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₴17.7K

$694 MWK 1.2M

-43.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,603 ₴72.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$901 ₴40.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 ₴21.8K

$370 MWK 635.2K

31.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.17

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

Last update for Odesa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Odesa

$188 23.2%

Lilongwe

$86 13.4% 54.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Odesa

$185 22.9%

Lilongwe

$251 * 39.1% 35.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Odesa

$135 16.7%

Lilongwe

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Odesa

$125 15.4%

Lilongwe

$117 18.3% 6.2% $7.7

Eating Out

Odesa

$118 14.5%

Lilongwe

$136 21.3% 15.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Odesa

$33 4.1%

Lilongwe

$30 * 4.8% 8.9% $3

Getting Around

Odesa

$25 3.1%

Lilongwe

$21 * 3.2% 19% $4.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Odesa and $544 in Lilongwe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Odesa pays 32% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Odesa vs $34.00 in Lilongwe. Groceries flip the comparison at $185 vs $251, with Odesa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇦 Odesa

🇲🇼 Lilongwe

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

1 h behind Odesa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,008,852

781,538 Capital

💱 Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇦 Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,930 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.18 EUR).

USD to UAH in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Odesa Lilongwe 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Odesa
Lilongwe

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

Odesa vs Lilongwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lilongwe is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Odesa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $344 in Odesa versus $544 in Lilongwe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Odesa pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lilongwe – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $35.00 in Odesa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $641 in Lilongwe versus $810 in Odesa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lilongwe but tight or insufficient in Odesa. The gap between the two cities makes Lilongwe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lilongwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Odesa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.