Well,i would say,living in Malawi is expensive since it's an importing country with very little to export.talking from Blantyre experience,rentals for a decent 3 bed house in good location,range from$ 800-$1500,am told Lilongwe is more expensive.food,i trusted Shoprite,Metro and some People's supermarket.these sell local and imported food.you will find almost everything in Malawi.our grocery for me and hubby was hitting $500,just basic things like,toiletries,food.food prices are relatively high comparing to other places in the region,we had a maid,who worked 6 days a week and we were paying $50,medical insurance for the 2 of us was $50 per month,Mwaiwathu and the Adventist hospitals ar ok,by our standards.you will find some foreign doctors there.Malaria is a big concern so one needs to take measures to be safe.Gym fees range from $50 but we were members for Blantre sports club so we were paying about $450per year and there is $200 joining fees,to access golf,swimming,fairly equipped gym ,bar, restaurant etc.Kids fees,we got this from friends,they pay about$1000-$1500 at St Andrews and St Patrick's schools,and Pheonix,Blantyre's best b my standards.fuel,has been a problem for the past 4 months but i am told it's normalising,petrol is at about $1.82/litre,am not sure about diesel.we left Malawi in November 2010,but i think there are no major changes so far.hope this helps.
