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

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 51.3% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 113.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 55.8% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 100.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ฿147

$5.13 MWK 8,920

-9.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.11 ฿1,454

$32.31 MWK 56.2K

42.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 ฿276

$10.34 MWK 18.0K

-15.47%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ฿95.8

$3.00 MWK 5,211

1.33%

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

$0.72 ฿22.72

$0.95 MWK 1,658

-24.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.34

$0.41 MWK 719

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿77.0

$1.77 MWK 3,082

37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿120

$4.09 MWK 7,123

-7.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿67.7

$1.00 MWK 1,736

114.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 ฿58.7

$1.19 MWK 2,064

56.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿69.0

$1.68 MWK 2,926

30.36%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿70.8

$2.62 MWK 4,562

-14.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 ฿622

$15.95 MWK 27.8K

23.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ฿119

$3.09 MWK 5,384

22.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 ฿427

$3.95 MWK 6,866

243.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 ฿102

$2.59 MWK 4,505

25.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿52.7

$0.99 MWK 1,719

68.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿75.5

$1.47 MWK 2,558

62.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 ฿66.0

$1.52 MWK 2,636

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿48.22

$1.35 MWK 2,342

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿47.62

$1.23 MWK 2,139

22.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿31.19

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.24

$0.64 MWK 1,114

-20.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿135

$1.56 MWK 2,718

173.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ฿640

$14.31 MWK 24.9K

41.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿56.5

$1.05 MWK 1,825

70.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿87.3

$1.86 MWK 3,242

48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿44.29

$0.89 MWK 1,550

57.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿369

$4.44 MWK 7,719

163.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿98.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿31.37

$2.54 MWK 4,422

-61.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 ฿433

$2.13 MWK 3,713

544.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿41.60

$1.59 MWK 2,762

-16.98%

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

$27.2K ฿859.0K

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

$34.1K ฿1.1M

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

$120 ฿3,797

$45.36 MWK 78.9K

165.43%

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

$13.93 ฿439

$11.64 MWK 20.3K

19.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿577

$63.3 MWK 110.2K

-71.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿1,922

$37.74 MWK 65.6K

61.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿544

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 ฿275

$4.03 MWK 7,004

116.13%

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

$698 ฿22.0K

$346 MWK 602.6K

101.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿496.2K

$2,394 MWK 4.2M

557.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 ฿1,080

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,569

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,675

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ฿19.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 ฿13.8K

$66.8 MWK 116.2K

552.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 ฿64.9K

$269 MWK 468.6K

663.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ฿47.3K

$561 MWK 976.1K

167.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿134.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿94.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 ฿16.7K

$273 MWK 474.9K

93.87%

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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: March 2, 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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