Malawi vs Zimbabwe - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Malawi Zimbabwe
🚶 Cost of living one person
$579
$896
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1462
$2280
🏠 One person rent
$216
$354
🏘️ Family rent
$368
$627
🍽️ Food expenses
$218
$332
🚐 Transport expenses
$95.2
$140
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$458
$324
💸 GDP per capita
$673
$1592
😃 Human freedom index
6.83
4.86
❤️ Life expectancy
62.9
59.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
34
24
🌐 English speaking %
3.9%
82.1%
🎓 Higher education
39
48
😀 Quality of life
24
19
🏙️ Population
18.6M
15.2M

The average cost of living in Malawi ($579) is 35% less expensive than in Zimbabwe ($896). Malawi ranked 167th vs 101st for Zimbabwe in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Malawi compared to 0.4 months in Zimbabwe. Ranked 160th and 168th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Malawi vs Zimbabwe infographic

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Prices in Malawi vs Zimbabwe

We calculate prices for Malawi and Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.84
$7.54
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$20.1
$52.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.62
$5.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.97
$1.91
 Cappuccino
$2.23
$2.87
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.89
$0.74
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$265
$214
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$118
$196
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$420
$619
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$248
$411
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$32.2
$36
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$49.7
$55.7
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$36.1
$118
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
12.64%
15.02%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10568
$1341
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$487
$1440
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.13
$0.79
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$13.5
$36.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$15
$21.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.32
$1.58
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.01
$1.58
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.98
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$1.47
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.86
$2.14
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.1
$9.33
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4
$6.34
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.79
$6.07
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.03
$2.82
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.9
$1.69
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.58
$2.23
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1
$1.74
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.27
$1.24
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.32
$1.81
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.43
$0.63
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$0.92
$2.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.2
$6.83
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.96
$1.16
🚬 Cigarette pack
$1.21
$1.39
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$1.77
$8.54
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.53
$5.12
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$0.74
$2.68
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.69
$1.49
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39
$49
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$2.62
$9.85
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$17
$33.8
💇 Haircut, simple
$3.24
$6.67
👖 Brand Jeans
$30
$19.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$56
$37.5
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$366
$234
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$1375
$8762

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Malawi vs Zimbabwe

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Malawi

City Cost of living Population
Blantyre
$591
1.9M
Mzimba
$574
936K
Lilongwe
$582
989K
Zomba
$498
101K
Mzuzu
$534
150K
Mangochi
$516
53.5K
Mulanje
$500
14.8K
Ntcheu
$515
14.6K
Monkey Bay
$526
14.6K

In Zimbabwe

City Cost of living Population
Harare
$1012
2.15M
Masvingo
$871
1.64M
Bulawayo
$756
666K
Chitungwiza
$890
365K
Mutare
$662
225K
Gweru
$761
141K
Kadoma
$729
116K
Kwekwe
$731
93.1K
Chinhoyi
$830
56.8K
Marondera
$810
52.3K