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

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 52% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 115.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 45.8% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 93.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$4.94 MWK 8,619

-7.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,498

$31.85 MWK 55.5K

47.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿278

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

-14.62%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.5

$3.09 MWK 5,384

-5.50%

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

$0.68 ฿21.86

$0.96 MWK 1,681

-29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.67

$0.42 MWK 730

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.2

$1.69 MWK 2,952

48.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$3.94 MWK 6,861

-3.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.1

$0.94 MWK 1,635

129.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.2

$1.20 MWK 2,096

56.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.0

$1.76 MWK 3,077

22.73%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.0

$2.61 MWK 4,553

-14.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿626

$15.81 MWK 27.6K

23.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$3.21 MWK 5,591

18.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿429

$4.00 MWK 6,969

235.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$2.56 MWK 4,458

27.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$0.97 MWK 1,700

65.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿73.8

$1.47 MWK 2,559

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿65.8

$1.58 MWK 2,751

30.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.3

$1.33 MWK 2,321

21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.15

$1.20 MWK 2,098

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿32.92

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.35

$0.60 MWK 1,048

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$1.58 MWK 2,752

184.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿613

$14.62 MWK 25.5K

31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.3

$1.09 MWK 1,892

66.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.0

$1.86 MWK 3,236

44.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.05

$0.96 MWK 1,680

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿376

$4.42 MWK 7,705

166.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.10

$2.52 MWK 4,396

-60.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿439

$2.12 MWK 3,702

548.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.50

$1.65 MWK 2,868

-21.21%

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

$27.4K ฿874.8K

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

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

$125 ฿3,994

$44.93 MWK 78.3K

177.94%

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

$13.74 ฿439

$11.92 MWK 20.8K

15.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿595

$61.4 MWK 107.1K

-69.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,936

$36.73 MWK 64.0K

64.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿548

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿288

$3.83 MWK 6,684

135.25%

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

$698 ฿22.3K

$351 MWK 612.7K

98.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿515.3K

$2,347 MWK 4.1M

586.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,894

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,115

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,653

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,744

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$68.3 MWK 119.1K

539.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.4K

$266 MWK 463.2K

681.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.3K

$562 MWK 979.8K

168.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

$276 MWK 481.6K

91.34%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Lilongwe: April 11, 2026

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

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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