Blantyre is Malawi’s most expensive city

The cost of living in Malawi’s four cities shot by an average 5.45 percent to K255 593 last month with Blantyre emerging the most expensive city, a new report has shown.

The March 2022  Centre for Social Concern(CfSC) Basic Needs Basket (BNB)  report issued this week shows that a household in Lilongwe required K233 047, in Zomba K273 218, in Blantyre K289 698 and in Mzuzu K224522 to meet basic needs.

The BNB, a monthly review of the cost of living through surveys, further indicates tha in the period under review, the food basket which includes maize, milling and cooking oil  rose to an average of K147 134.

On the other hand, non-food basket, which comprises housing, electricity and water, among other items, rose to an average of K107 985 for a household of six.

In a brief response to an inquiry on Tuesday, CfSC programme officer for economic governance Bernard Mphepo said most Malawians are hardly surviving as incomes are not reflecting the living costs.

“The cost of living, spurred by unrelenting price spikes of food items continues to gallop at a time when Malawi’s economy is very vulnerable.

“The figures reveal that many Malawians’ average levels of income fall below minimum requirements of cost of food items and minimum cost of living.”

Meanwhile, available data shows that Malawi’s year-on-year headline inflation inched up by 0.9 percentage points to 13 percent in February from 12.1 percent in January on rising food and non-food prices.

Published figures from National Statistical Office (NSO) show that during the month under review, national food inflation rate rose to 15.3 percent while the non-food inflation rate rose to 10.1 percent.

This means prices of food items as well as prices of non-food items increased at a higher rate in February compared to January when food prices rose by 14.2 percent while non-food prices rose by 9.6 percent.

Commenting on the development, Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito said consumers have been left with little breathing space as cost of living has gone up.

“The current situation is hard economically and socially. We do not know where this is leading to but one can predict that tough times are ahead.

He said: “Many Malawians are experiencing challenges to access the very basic needs that a year ago were affordable. 

“The rising inflation has also affected the lack of access to disposable incomes.”