Compare the cost of your home country to the actual living costs in Malawi, simply select your home currency and see the difference!
All data is kept up to date by local members and actual students. Our latest update was on: 30th of June 2020
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| Food | Price in MK | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 12 eggs dozen, large |
12.50 MWK | |||
 1 beer pint in local shops, markets |
7 MWK | |||
 1 kg of tomatoes |
8.50 MWK | |||
 Full chicken 2kg |
38.75 MWK | |||
 1litre 100% fruit juice |
8.50 MWK | |||
 1 package of cigarettes imported brands |
25 MWK | |||
 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples |
7.50 MWK | |||
 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality |
48.95 MWK | |||
| 2.5 liters of Coca-Cola |
0.95 MWK | |||
 1 Bread loaf standard |
9.50 MWK | |||
 Whole fat Yogurt. 500ml |
12 MWK | |||
 1x6 pack Dardanelle tuna |
18.50 MWK | |||
| Heinz baked beans 1 tin |
8 MWK | |||
 1.5 kg Sugar |
10 MWK | |||
| 2 liter cooking oil |
20 MWK | |||
 Yum-yum noodles per pack |
2.00 MWK | |||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes |
5.50 MWK | |||
 1 liter milk |
8.50 MWK | |||
 Fast food restaurant large serving/ take away |
25 MWK | |||
| Housing | ||||
 Utilities per month (water, electricity, gas) for 2 people in flat |
165 MWK | |||
 Wi-Fi monthly fee 8 Mbps (1 month) |
145 MWK | |||
 Laundry detergent (bleach, sunlight liquid, washing surf… altogether) |
58.50 MWK | |||
 House Cleaning fee per day |
105 MWK | |||
 Large Gas heater price range upwards. |
200 MWK | |||
 Original branded Electric Fans |
200 MWK | |||
 Original branded Electric kettle. |
120 MWK | |||
 40 inches Beko flat screen HD TV set |
2000 MWK | |||
 Single bed Blankets |
120 MWK | |||
| Personal Care | ||||
 Avon for women and men cologne |
100 MWK | |||
 Ladies hair plaiting. |
60 MWK | |||
 Ladies Sanitaryware (Pads and Tampoons) |
18 MWK | |||
 Men's haircut |
40 MWK | |||
 Ibuprofen, Panadol, Grandpa Pain killers box of 12 dosses |
24.50 MWK | |||
 Mobile package local network providers’ talk-time, data and messages |
65 MWK | |||
 1 month of gym subscription. |
105 MWK | |||
 Earphones original (Samsung. iPhone) |
90 MWK | |||
| Unisex Loris perfume |
30 MWK | |||
 Gadgets maintenance and repairs (cellphone, laptops, tablets...) starting price. |
100 MWK | |||
| Smart phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, HTC, IPhone) price range upwards |
1000 MWK | |||
 Laptops (Samsung, Lenovo, Hp, Monster, Dell etc.) price range upwards |
3000 MWK | |||
| Entertainment | ||||
 Boat cruise with refreshments and finger snacks |
120 MWK | |||
 Go carting 30mins |
120 MWK | |||
 Movie House 3d cinema |
30 MWK | |||
 Summer Festivals (jet, bumper cars, lucky deep ...(per ticket) |
15 MWK | |||
 Photo shoot |
120 MWK | |||
 Cappuccino / expresso/ coffee |
12.50 MWK | |||
 3 course dinner local restaurant two people |
96.50 MWK | |||
 3 course dinner classy, exotic restaurant two people |
150 MWK | |||
 Play station 4 console without games. |
2000 MWK | |||
 Spalding Basketball |
200 MWK | |||
 Original branded Racket and Wilson’s tennis balls |
500 MWK | |||
| Transportation | ||||
 Taxi fare on average 5-10km |
45 MWK | |||
 Public transport per trip one way maximum fare |
30 MWK | |||
 1 liter petrol/diesel |
6.50 MWK | |||
| 1 day rent a car cost |
140 MWK | |||
 Driver’s license |
2300 MWK | |||
| Clothes | ||||
 1 pair of jeans (Denim or similar) |
150 MWK | |||
 1 pair of men’s formal shoes |
215 MWK | |||
 1 pair original sport/casual shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) |
280 MWK | |||
 1 classy summer dress (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) |
135.79 MWK | |||
 Ladies formal shoes original and durable |
120 MWK | |||
 Back-pack, gym bag (Nike, Adidas, New balance) |
150 MWK | |||
The cost of living in Malawi is 1.17% higher than in Zimbabwe but 23.64% lower than in the United States in US$ terms. It is usually advised for students who plan on a long-term stay, to open an account in one of Malawi’s major banks. These will issue debit cards or travelers' cheques that can be used to transact locally without hustles.
Frequently asked questions:
How affordable are apartments in Malawi?
Will the groceries cost much?
Do they offer on-campus accommodation?
How affordable is the transport?
What is the general cost of living in Malawi?
Shopping and Groceries
For all your window shopping and all-season shopping, from bargain-brand shops, grocery and appliance shops to high-end luxury boutiques, If you want to enjoy some retail therapy in Malawi, RocApply provides you with easy go-to options for your convenience.
The cost of basic goods is quite affordable. A basic basket of groceries would cost roughly MK11 000.
Transport
The transport system of Malawi comprises of rail, busses, minivans, tuk-tuks, taxis, and hired cars. Long-distance bus travel is a lot more comfortable than you might expect. There are long-distance buses running from the bigger cities, usually a couple of times a day.
Always make sure you use the first busses to save time and in case of any delays. Minibusses and taxis have an advantage as they have no set schedule and leave whenever the vehicle is full. Tuk-tuks also provide convenience as they do not carry many passengers are ideal for traveling in congested places
Taxis cost about MK500.00 for a one-way ticket, MK400.00 for a 1km tariff, and MK21 700 for a monthly pass.
Medical Insurance
Many universities have standard student medical insurance plans that students can just pay for as part of their fees but the cover may be limited or premiums may be too high.
International students can also purchase a health insurance policy from private service providers like Liberty health, Med health. Students should consider the type of cover offered by the Insurer (whether full or partial) before subscribing to the respective insurer.
Bills and Utilities: Basic utilities like water, electricity, heating, and gas cost at about MK 43,765.47 per month while voice calls 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local cost MK 83.41 per minute.
We have compiled a list of prices for goods and services for students both in the Malawian Kwacha (MK) and the United States Dollar (US$).
Note: prices may vary depending on the service providers, location, discount deals, and the season.
| Restaurants | MK PRICE | US$ PRICE |
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 3,250.00 | 4.38 $ |
| McMeal at McDonalds | 4,500.00 | 6.06 $ |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 litre draught) | 800.00 | 1.08 $ |
| Imported Beer (0.33 litre bottle) | 1,200.00 | 1.62 $ |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1,544.87 | 2.08 $ |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 litre bottle) | 585.58 | 0.79 $ |
| Water (0.33 litre bottle) | 315.25 | 0.42 $ |
| Markets | ||
| Milk 1 litre | 850.00 | 1.15 $ |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread | 485.15 | 0.65 $ |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 750.00 | 1.01 $ |
| Eggs Dozen | 1,366.67 | 1.84 $ |
| Beef Round (1kg) | 3,725.00 | 5.02 $ |
| Tomato (1kg) | 1,333.33 | 1.80 $ |
| Potato (1kg) | 1,233.33 | 1.66 $ |
| Onion (1kg) | 1,262.50 | 1.70 $ |
| Transportation | ||
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 500.00 | 0.67 $ |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 21,700.00 | 29.23 $ |
| Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) | 400.00 | 0.54 $ |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) | 43,765.47 | 58.96 $ |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | 83.41 | 0.11 $ |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 147,836.71 | 199.16 $ |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 36,423.12 | 49.07 $ |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 5,018.73 | 6.76 $ |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 4,000.00 | 5.39 $ |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 37,500.00 | 50.52 $ |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M) | 5,000.00 | 6.74 $ |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 68,346.25 | 92.07 $ |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 63,750.00 | 85.88 $ |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 345,000.85 | 464.77 $ |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 243,308.70 | 327.77 $ |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 643,142.63 | 866.40 $ |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 503,269.76 | 677.98 $ |
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