Malawi vs Zambia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Malawi Zambia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$543
$827
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1341
$1884
🏠 One person rent
$202
$399
🏘️ Family rent
$317
$530
🍽️ Food expenses
$226
$266
🚐 Transport expenses
$65.9
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$253
$112
💸 GDP per capita
$523
$1187
😃 Human freedom index
6.63
6.8
❤️ Life expectancy
67.4
66.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
34
37
🌐 English speaking %
3.9%
16%
🎓 Higher education
31
51
😀 Quality of life
31
30
🏙️ Population
21.7M
21.3M

The average cost of living in Malawi ($543) is 34% less expensive than in Zambia ($827). Malawi ranked 178th vs 127th for Zambia in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.5 months in Malawi compared to 0.1 months in Zambia. Ranked 151st and 154th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in Malawi vs Zambia

We calculate prices for Malawi and Zambia as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 10 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 Zambia
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$4.12
$6.97
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$18.9
$24.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.44
$3.92
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.29
$1.14
 Cappuccino
$2.18
$2.36
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.18
$0.57
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$281
$305
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$97.8
$305
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$533
$933
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$474
$890
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$28.8
$44.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$44
$68.6
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$38.9
$50.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
12.72%
29.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$9006
$1931
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$442
$6714
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.89
$0.82
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$13.1
$46.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$12.3
$11.3
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.29
$1.31
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.94
$1.23
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.98
$0.85
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.34
$2.15
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.86
$1.61
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.94
$6.32
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.85
$4.79
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.96
$5.54
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.1
$2.64
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.75
$1.72
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.93
$2.37
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.11
$1.32
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.13
$2.36
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.29
$1.77
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.47
$0.43
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$0.96
$1.35
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.5
$7.17
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.91
$1.03
🚬 Cigarette pack
$1.81
$2.64
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$1.81
$8.23
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.82
$3.46
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$0.74
$1.68
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.67
$1.58
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$34.8
$31
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$3.11
$4.17
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$17
$22.3
💇 Haircut, simple
$3.32
$6.35
👖 Brand Jeans
$27.9
$25.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$53.3
$74.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$354
$205
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$1535
$13285

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Malawi vs Zambia

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Malawi

City Cost of living Population
Blantyre
$505
800K
Lilongwe
$591
989K
Zomba
$458
101K
Mzuzu
$527
150K
Mangochi
$496
53.5K
Mzimba
$530
26.1K
Mulanje
$461
14.8K
Ntcheu
$495
14.6K
Monkey Bay
$521
14.6K

In Zambia

City Cost of living Population
Lusaka
$686
2.47M
Kitwe
$1189
625K
Ndola
$613
528K
Chingola
$1229
255K
Mufulira
$1473
182K
Livingstone
$718
177K
Kasama
$1002
158K
Kapiri Mposhi
$815
65.2K
Choma
$750
51.8K
Mansa
$1030
45.5K