struggle for survival

The rising cost of living to K1 million per month for an average urban family in Malawi has left households across towns and cities scrambling to cover basic needs as inflation, higher taxes and stagnant wages squeeze purchasing power. A recent Basket Needs Assessment by the Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) delivered the stark verdict of the increase in urban cost of living to K1 million, narrowing daily life for many to a bare struggle for survival. CfSC data shows that the national average cost of living doubled from K491 037 in January 2024 to K1 072 809 as of January 2026.

Market vendors, cleaners and small‑scale traders describe a relentless cycle of earning just enough to get by. “Life is about daily struggle. I usually make a profit of between K15 000 to K20 000 from my daily banana sales of banana.

When I calculate transport to and from my business place, I usually end up with nothing to save. It’s hand to mouth because I look after four children and our daily expenses are estimated at K15 000. It is hard to survive,” said Maria Fote, a breadwinner and mother from Kauma, but plies her trade at City Centre in Lilongwe.

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Emily Chinjikani, a mobile money agent, echoes that despair. “My monthly income is K100 000. I support a family of six.

With prices where they are, I can hardly survive. Cleaners such as Joseph Jere and Rhoda Makwana, both earning the current minimum wage of K126 000, their pay barely covers essentials. Makwana, who heads a household of four in Blantyre, says the family can afford little more than a bag of maize and rent.

“If the minimum wage is revised, I would expect it to more than double. Otherwise our lives will only be about survival,” she says. For Jere, the ceiling for employers of her calibre is just to hit the minimum wage which is K126 000.

“What we get is merely for survival because it does not match the cost of living. We are struggling,” he said. According to data from the National Statistical Office, Malawi’s annual inflation rate rose to a record high in 2024, hitting 34 percent driven by higher prices of food, electricity, water and transport.

The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) raised petrol and diesel pump prices by nearly 41 percent, taking petrol to K4 965 per litre from K3 499, and diesel to K4 945 from K3 500. This followed an earlier 33 percent increase five months prior. The hikes have pushed up transport fares and the cost of goods across the economy.

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