Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Malawi Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Malawi

Name: Malawi
Address: MW

😐 Solo nomad: United States is 96.1% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 309.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: United States is 135.6% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 238.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$5.00 MWK 8,730

299.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$21.53 MWK 37.6K

246.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$8.49 MWK 14.8K

34.28%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$2.88 MWK 5,031

86.46%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$0.89 MWK 1,547

195.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.47 MWK 821

338.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$1.33 MWK 2,312

343.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$2.90 MWK 5,067

142.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.01 MWK 1,766

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.26 MWK 2,204

181.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.62 MWK 2,827

191.98%

Eggs

$4.30 $4.30

$2.25 MWK 3,930

91.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$7.51 MWK 13.1K

73.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$3.31 MWK 5,775

269.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.36 $16.36

$5.34 MWK 9,311

206.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.45 MWK 4,283

112.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.76 MWK 3,072

-3.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.19 MWK 3,814

109.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.20 MWK 2,092

314.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.35 MWK 2,355

120.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.37 MWK 2,398

121.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.30 MWK 532

653.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.11 MWK 1,937

95.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$2.32 MWK 4,051

323.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$12.40 MWK 21.6K

22.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.98 MWK 1,716

94.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.01 MWK 3,511

78.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.00 MWK 1,742

149.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 $66.1

$2.10 MWK 3,669

3048.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 $3.82

$0.57 MWK 998

570.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.46 MWK 4,300

-27.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.48 $29.48

$6.00 MWK 10.5K

391.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.62 MWK 2,818

-43.83%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$35.6K MWK 62.1M

-17.09%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.4K MWK 67.0M

-31.99%

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

$206 $206

$48.58 MWK 84.7K

324.50%

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

$56.9 $56.9

$10.35 MWK 18.1K

449.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$70.7 MWK 123.4K

2.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.23 $45.23

$44.28 MWK 77.2K

2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.84 $21.84

$15.10 MWK 26.3K

44.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$3.89 MWK 6,790

254.50%

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

$1,355 $1,355

$378 MWK 659.5K

258.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K $22.6K

$1,501 MWK 2.6M

1402.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$42.48 MWK 74.1K

20.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 $42.37

$34.30 MWK 59.8K

23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 $88.6

$58.5 MWK 102.0K

51.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$71.0 MWK 123.9K

61.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 $1,763

$204 MWK 355.2K

766.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 $1,432

$81.7 MWK 142.5K

1653.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,827 $2,827

$438 MWK 764.6K

544.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,358 $2,358

$345 MWK 601.6K

583.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,391 $3,391

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,614 $2,614

$390 MWK 680.8K

569.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,326 $4,326

$306 MWK 533.5K

1314.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

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

Last update for United States: March 3, 2026

Last update for Malawi: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Malawi Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Malawi

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

United States

Malawi

United States

Malawi

Similar countries

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇮🇪 Ireland

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

🇬🇱 Greenland

🇬🇮 Gibraltar

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda

🇳🇷 Nauru