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 65.2% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 118.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 28.8% more expensive than Lilongwe without rent, and 78.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$201

$4.94 MWK 8,619

135.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$739

$31.85 MWK 55.5K

34.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$183

$10.19 MWK 17.8K

4.02%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$3.09 MWK 5,384

16.18%

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

$1.45 MX$25.10

$0.96 MWK 1,681

51.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.52

$0.42 MWK 730

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.4

$1.69 MWK 2,952

79.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$78.8

$3.94 MWK 6,861

15.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.10

$0.94 MWK 1,635

54.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.59

$1.20 MWK 2,096

52.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.80

$1.76 MWK 3,077

-8.52%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.87

$2.61 MWK 4,553

-2.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$15.81 MWK 27.6K

-45.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$146

$3.21 MWK 5,591

163.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$4.00 MWK 6,969

171.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.18

$2.56 MWK 4,458

6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.80

$0.97 MWK 1,700

53.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.59

$1.47 MWK 2,559

31.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.42

$1.58 MWK 2,751

36.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$31.92

$1.33 MWK 2,321

39.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.84

$1.20 MWK 2,098

82.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.73

$0.60 MWK 1,048

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.2

$1.58 MWK 2,752

156.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$181

$14.62 MWK 25.5K

-28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.59

$1.09 MWK 1,892

51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.06

$1.86 MWK 3,236

37.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.61

$0.96 MWK 1,680

-41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

$4.42 MWK 7,705

492.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$41.00

$2.52 MWK 4,396

-5.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.0

$2.12 MWK 3,702

52.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.72

$1.65 MWK 2,868

-20.61%

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

$30.5K MX$528.0K

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

$23.8K MX$411.9K

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

$83.1 MX$1,438

$44.93 MWK 78.3K

85.04%

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

$22.15 MX$383

$11.92 MWK 20.8K

85.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$508

$61.4 MWK 107.1K

-52.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$885

$36.73 MWK 64.0K

39.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.5

$3.83 MWK 6,684

27.68%

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

$199 MX$3,435

$351 MWK 612.7K

-43.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$90.0K

$2,347 MWK 4.1M

121.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$681

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,388

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,514

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,336

$68.3 MWK 119.1K

605.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

$266 MWK 463.2K

519.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

$562 MWK 979.8K

112.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.6K

$276 MWK 481.6K

162.97%

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: April 12, 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

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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