Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lilongwe Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lilongwe

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 37.8% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 109% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 64.9% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 95.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ฿142

$4.94 MWK 8,618

-8.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.08 ฿1,448

$32.06 MWK 55.9K

43.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 ฿276

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

-13.84%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿97.0

$2.95 MWK 5,147

4.75%

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

$0.70 ฿21.96

$0.92 MWK 1,601

-23.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.46

$0.42 MWK 732

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿75.5

$1.77 MWK 3,087

35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿116

$3.95 MWK 6,885

-6.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ฿70.6

$1.01 MWK 1,765

122.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 ฿58.8

$1.23 MWK 2,149

52.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ฿69.8

$1.69 MWK 2,943

31.36%

Eggs

$2.23 ฿70.1

$2.64 MWK 4,601

-15.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.68 ฿619

$15.54 MWK 27.1K

26.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿115

$3.23 MWK 5,642

13.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 ฿411

$4.06 MWK 7,079

222.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ฿106

$2.61 MWK 4,550

29.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿53.2

$0.97 MWK 1,694

74.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿73.2

$1.46 MWK 2,555

59.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿62.4

$1.57 MWK 2,735

26.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿48.76

$1.36 MWK 2,373

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿47.41

$1.21 MWK 2,114

24.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿30.83

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.01

$0.65 MWK 1,136

-26.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿137

$1.61 MWK 2,812

170.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.65 ฿649

$14.66 MWK 25.6K

40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.8

$1.08 MWK 1,891

63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿86.6

$1.85 MWK 3,234

48.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿43.18

$0.88 MWK 1,541

55.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿357

$4.28 MWK 7,465

165.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿97.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿32.95

$2.52 MWK 4,397

-58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.72 ฿431

$2.14 MWK 3,741

541.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿42.14

$1.60 MWK 2,788

-16.25%

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

$27.7K ฿869.3K

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

$33.6K ฿1.1M

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

$122 ฿3,834

$45.13 MWK 78.8K

170.29%

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

$13.61 ฿428

$11.87 MWK 20.7K

14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.49 ฿581

$63.6 MWK 111.0K

-70.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 ฿1,939

$37.00 MWK 64.6K

66.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.70 ฿525

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 ฿286

$3.91 MWK 6,826

132.48%

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

$702 ฿22.1K

$351 MWK 612.9K

100.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K ฿502.6K

$2,375 MWK 4.1M

573.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ฿1,851

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 ฿1,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,544

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.7 ฿2,661

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ฿19.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 ฿13.7K

$68.1 MWK 118.8K

539.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ฿65.0K

$266 MWK 463.7K

678.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 ฿46.3K

$554 MWK 966.9K

165.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,445 ฿139.7K

$16.2K MWK 28.3M

-72.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$547 ฿17.2K

$279 MWK 487.6K

95.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

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

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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