Malawi vs Rwanda - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Malawi Rwanda
🚶 Cost of living one person
$551
$699
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1360
$1685
🏠 One person rent
$208
$345
🏘️ Family rent
$332
$600
🍽️ Food expenses
$228
$218
🚐 Transport expenses
$65.9
$86.1
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$217
$216
💸 GDP per capita
$508
$1000
😃 Human freedom index
6.85
5.87
❤️ Life expectancy
67.4
67.8
👮 Corruption perceptions index
34
57
🌐 English speaking %
3.9%
15%
🎓 Higher education
40
16
😀 Quality of life
28
34
🏙️ Population
21.7M
14.3M

The average cost of living in Malawi ($551) is 21% less expensive than in Rwanda ($699). Malawi ranked 176th vs 148th for Rwanda in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.4 months in Malawi compared to 0.3 months in Rwanda. Ranked 163rd and 144th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Malawi vs Rwanda infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Malawi vs Rwanda

We calculate prices for Malawi and Rwanda as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 8 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Malawi Rwanda
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$4.15
$2.73
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$19.7
$27
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.52
$6.91
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.33
$1.03
 Cappuccino
$2.2
$2.38
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.19
$0.83
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$293
$450
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$100
$255
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$540
$1055
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$498
$659
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$29.3
$31.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$45.5
$48.8
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.4
$19.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
12.84%
16.29%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10514
$14708
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$514
$952
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.89
$0.32
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$13
$27.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$11.5
$14.5
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.29
$1.16
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.96
$0.64
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.96
$1.05
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.3
$1.26
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.91
$1.61
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.53
$4.49
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.8
$4.57
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.87
$3.63
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.13
$2.53
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$0.83
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.88
$1.54
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.14
$1
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.15
$0.47
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$0.8
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.47
$0.51
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$0.97
$1.41
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.6
$10.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.92
$1.03
🚬 Cigarette pack
$1.69
$1.72
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$1.85
$3.49
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.95
$2.69
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$0.74
$0.77
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.67
$0.93
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$34.1
$31.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$3.06
$3.47
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$16.9
$17
💇 Haircut, simple
$3.33
$3.05
👖 Brand Jeans
$27.4
$19.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$53.1
$62.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$355
$165
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$1640
$7829

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Malawi vs Rwanda

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Malawi

City Cost of living Population
Mzimba
$565
936K
Blantyre
$506
800K
Lilongwe
$592
989K
Mzuzu
$527
150K
Zomba
$458
101K
Mangochi
$496
53.5K
Mulanje
$461
14.8K
Ntcheu
$493
14.6K
Monkey Bay
$519
14.6K

In Rwanda

City Cost of living Population
Kigali
$758
1.16M
Ruhengeri
$499
153K
Gisenyi
$396
53.6K
Byumba
$597
36.4K
Cyangugu
$505
27.4K
Nyanza
$524
25.4K
Kibuye
$491
12.3K
Butare
$412
19.9K