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 132.8% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 315.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: United States is 114.4% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 235.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.36 $20.36

$5.08 MWK 8,863

300.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$21.47 MWK 37.4K

246.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 $11.42

$8.43 MWK 14.7K

35.47%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$2.93 MWK 5,112

77.82%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$0.87 MWK 1,524

201.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.46 MWK 809

367.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$1.31 MWK 2,291

345.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$2.91 MWK 5,071

146.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.00 MWK 1,748

8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.26 MWK 2,206

184.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.62 MWK 2,829

190.74%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$2.37 MWK 4,129

84.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$7.30 MWK 12.7K

73.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$3.49 MWK 6,081

255.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.39 $16.39

$5.50 MWK 9,597

198.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.38 MWK 4,156

116.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.70 MWK 2,963

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.18 MWK 3,803

105.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$1.25 MWK 2,183

300.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.32 MWK 2,302

120.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.33 MWK 2,328

130.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.30 MWK 531

620.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.16 MWK 2,016

90.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.93 $9.93

$2.41 MWK 4,209

312.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$12.41 MWK 21.6K

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.99 MWK 1,728

92.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.03 MWK 3,537

82.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.96 MWK 1,667

165.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 $65.0

$2.21 MWK 3,857

2842.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 $3.69

$0.60 MWK 1,047

515.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.47 MWK 4,305

-27.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.24 $30.24

$5.93 MWK 10.3K

409.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.63 MWK 2,837

-41.72%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$35.1K MWK 61.2M

-15.21%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$39.3K MWK 68.6M

-33.17%

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

$210 $210

$47.93 MWK 83.6K

337.14%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$10.29 MWK 17.9K

466.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.1 $72.1

$71.6 MWK 124.8K

0.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 $45.90

$44.62 MWK 77.8K

2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 $22.20

$15.05 MWK 26.3K

47.51%

Cinema Ticket

$14.25 $14.25

$3.92 MWK 6,837

263.52%

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

$1,367 $1,367

$377 MWK 658.4K

262.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K $22.8K

$1,456 MWK 2.5M

1464.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$42.04 MWK 73.3K

26.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.96 $42.96

$34.25 MWK 59.7K

25.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 $89.4

$59.1 MWK 103.1K

51.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$69.2 MWK 120.8K

63.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 $1,766

$200 MWK 348.0K

785.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$82.3 MWK 143.6K

1673.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,865 $2,865

$447 MWK 780.3K

540.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 $2,360

$351 MWK 613.0K

571.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,427 $3,427

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,624 $2,624

$397 MWK 693.3K

560.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,306 $4,306

$308 MWK 537.4K

1297.42%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Malawi: 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

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

United States

Malawi

United States

Malawi

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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