The average cost of living declined by 0.5 percent to K841 219 in March 2025 on account of maize price drops in Zomba and Blantyre, published Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) data shows.
In February, the average cost of living was at K845 561 for a family of six.
The marginal decline, according to CfSC economic governance officer Agness Nyirongo, is a reflection of the deep-seated structural and economic challenges that continue to plague the nation.
She said: “However, the modest relief in maize prices failed to counterbalance the persistent challenges posed by rising costs of other essential goods such as cooking oil, rice and sugar.
“Transportation costs also remained high, driven by volatile global fuel prices and the depreciation of the kwacha, which continues to erode purchasing power.”
Nyirongo said for families living below or just above the poverty line, K841 219 per month was unattainable as it represents not just the cost of survival, but the gap between aspiration and reality for millions of hardworking Malawians.
She said the root causes of the crisis include food price volatility, energy costs, currency depreciation and limited social protection programmes.
During the month under review, Malawi’s year-on-year headline inflation rate for March 2025 declined by 0.2 percentage points to 30.5 percent according to published National Statistical Office data.
This is a marginal decline from the 30.7 percent recorded in February 2025.
Although prices of food declined by 0.8 percent during the month, pressure arising from increasing prices of non-food items, which soared by 0.7 percent, kept inflation in marginal decline.
In recent months, Malawi’s inflation has been on the rise, driven by seasonal food price fluctuations around the peak of the lean period and the 16 percent upward adjustment of electricity tariff across all customer categories.
However, in the wake of the harvest season, maize prices have started to decline with freshly harvested maize now fetching an average of K50 000 per 50 kilogramme (kg) bag, down from a peak of K110 000 per 50 kg bag during the lean period.
Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito said the majority of consumers are struggling, with those without access to income barely surviving.
Both the Reserve Bank of Malawi and Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs expect inflation, which averaged 32.3 percent in 2024, to drop this year due to improved agricultural output.
As part of food, maize contributes about 53.7 percent of the CPI.
