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 61.5% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 113.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 65.7% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 82.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$208

$5.13 MWK 8,920

130.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$742

$32.31 MWK 56.2K

30.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$189

$10.34 MWK 18.0K

3.97%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$61.1

$3.00 MWK 5,211

15.67%

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

$1.45 MX$25.56

$0.95 MWK 1,658

52.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.88

$0.41 MWK 719

119.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$53.7

$1.77 MWK 3,082

72.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$77.7

$4.09 MWK 7,123

8.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.09

$1.00 MWK 1,736

37.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$32.93

$1.19 MWK 2,064

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.15

$1.68 MWK 2,926

-8.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.03

$2.62 MWK 4,562

-4.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$151

$15.95 MWK 27.8K

-46.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$152

$3.09 MWK 5,384

179.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$194

$3.95 MWK 6,866

178.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$48.36

$2.59 MWK 4,505

6.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.12

$0.99 MWK 1,719

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.94

$1.47 MWK 2,558

27.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.13

$1.52 MWK 2,636

42.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.12

$1.35 MWK 2,342

39.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$39.51

$1.23 MWK 2,139

82.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.78

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.88

$0.64 MWK 1,114

67.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$73.1

$1.56 MWK 2,718

166.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$182

$14.31 MWK 24.9K

-27.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.54

$1.05 MWK 1,825

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$43.69

$1.86 MWK 3,242

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.76

$0.89 MWK 1,550

-38.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$467

$4.44 MWK 7,719

497.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$56.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$43.65

$2.54 MWK 4,422

-2.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$54.7

$2.13 MWK 3,713

46.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.09

$1.59 MWK 2,762

-20.75%

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

$30.7K MX$539.3K

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

$24.0K MX$422.8K

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

$82.5 MX$1,451

$45.36 MWK 78.9K

81.83%

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

$22.29 MX$392

$11.64 MWK 20.3K

91.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$528

$63.3 MWK 110.2K

-52.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$905

$37.74 MWK 65.6K

36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$322

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$87.7

$4.03 MWK 7,004

23.57%

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

$200 MX$3,518

$346 MWK 602.6K

-42.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$93.3K

$2,394 MWK 4.2M

121.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$628

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$696

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,417

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,554

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,482

$66.8 MWK 116.2K

622.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.1K

$269 MWK 468.6K

492.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$20.8K

$561 MWK 976.1K

110.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.3K

$273 MWK 474.9K

177.08%

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: March 3, 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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