Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lilongwe Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lilongwe

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 68.6% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 113.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 43.5% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 80.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$4.94 MWK 8,620

140.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$32.06 MWK 56.0K

30.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

3.53%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$2.95 MWK 5,149

22.03%

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$0.92 MWK 1,601

63.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.42 MWK 732

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$1.77 MWK 3,088

74.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$3.95 MWK 6,888

13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.01 MWK 1,766

37.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$1.23 MWK 2,149

54.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$1.69 MWK 2,944

-5.33%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.64 MWK 4,602

-1.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$15.54 MWK 27.1K

-46.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$3.23 MWK 5,644

167.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$4.06 MWK 7,082

168.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$2.61 MWK 4,552

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$0.97 MWK 1,694

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$1.46 MWK 2,556

34.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$1.57 MWK 2,736

35.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$1.36 MWK 2,374

36.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$1.21 MWK 2,114

83.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$0.65 MWK 1,136

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$1.61 MWK 2,813

151.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$14.66 MWK 25.6K

-30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$1.08 MWK 1,891

56.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$1.85 MWK 3,235

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

$0.88 MWK 1,541

-42.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

$4.28 MWK 7,467

519.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$2.52 MWK 4,398

-2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$2.14 MWK 3,742

52.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.60 MWK 2,788

-17.50%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$45.13 MWK 78.8K

85.09%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$11.87 MWK 20.7K

92.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$63.6 MWK 111.0K

-52.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$37.00 MWK 64.6K

40.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$3.91 MWK 6,828

30.95%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$351 MWK 613.1K

-42.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$2,375 MWK 4.1M

123.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$68.1 MWK 118.8K

609.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$266 MWK 463.9K

501.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$554 MWK 967.2K

118.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$16.2K MWK 28.4M

-75.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

$279 MWK 487.7K

161.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: 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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