Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Malawi Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Malawi

Name: Malawi
Address: MW

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 1.9% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 61.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 3.8% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 44.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 145

$4.87 MWK 8,506

81.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.50 R 631

$21.27 MWK 37.1K

81.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 R 83.2

$8.45 MWK 14.7K

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R 33.40

$2.81 MWK 4,905

-27.40%

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

$1.04 R 17.02

$0.81 MWK 1,420

28.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R 12.08

$0.47 MWK 819

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 R 37.83

$1.33 MWK 2,312

73.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R 40.57

$2.87 MWK 5,001

-13.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R 17.55

$1.05 MWK 1,831

1.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.51

$1.30 MWK 2,272

-22.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.79

$1.55 MWK 2,699

1.29%

Eggs

$2.33 R 38.26

$2.37 MWK 4,143

-1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 R 126

$7.43 MWK 13.0K

3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 R 73.4

$3.41 MWK 5,943

31.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 108

$5.47 MWK 9,549

20.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.55

$2.36 MWK 4,117

-33.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.80

$1.69 MWK 2,949

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.79

$2.24 MWK 3,911

-32.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.39

$1.24 MWK 2,159

20.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.37 MWK 2,394

-11.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.80

$1.31 MWK 2,288

1.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.70

$0.33 MWK 577

227.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.34

$1.16 MWK 2,032

-18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 46.74

$2.40 MWK 4,197

18.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 R 80.3

$12.58 MWK 22.0K

-61.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.64

$0.97 MWK 1,696

42.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R 27.65

$1.93 MWK 3,369

-12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 R 28.33

$0.94 MWK 1,640

84.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.33 R 743

$2.21 MWK 3,862

1951.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.01

$0.61 MWK 1,064

80.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R 18.03

$2.46 MWK 4,298

-55.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 R 76.9

$6.19 MWK 10.8K

-24.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.32

$1.63 MWK 2,847

-20.25%

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

$20.6K R 337.3K

$35.3K MWK 61.7M

-41.80%

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

$24.2K R 396.4K

$39.3K MWK 68.5M

-38.46%

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

$110 R 1,811

$47.92 MWK 83.6K

130.49%

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

$32.07 R 526

$10.30 MWK 18.0K

211.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.81 R 669

$70.4 MWK 122.8K

-42.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 514

$45.04 MWK 78.6K

-30.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.44 R 155

$15.07 MWK 26.3K

-37.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 R 113

$3.99 MWK 6,955

72.93%

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

$187 R 3,074

$376 MWK 657.0K

-50.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,385 R 71.9K

$1,454 MWK 2.5M

201.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 R 815

$40.95 MWK 71.5K

21.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 R 512

$35.04 MWK 61.1K

-10.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 R 1,526

$58.6 MWK 102.3K

58.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R 1,307

$70.6 MWK 123.3K

12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 R 7,265

$205 MWK 358.0K

115.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,048

$81.9 MWK 142.9K

350.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R 14.6K

$447 MWK 779.2K

99.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$349 MWK 609.4K

107.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 R 18.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 R 13.5K

$393 MWK 685.8K

109.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,486 R 24.4K

$314 MWK 548.7K

372.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

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

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

Last update for Malawi: January 13, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Malawi Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Malawi

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