Every morning, Boniface Sankhani leaves his home in Mbayani Township, Blantyre City, and begins a journey that has become a symbol of struggles facing many urban Malawians. The screen-printing entrepreneur walks about 18 kilometres to Limbe, also in Blantyre, to buy supplies for his business.
He can no longer afford public transport. Just a few years ago, Sankhani’s business was thriving. He would buy plain T-shirts, commonly known as pilot T-shirts, have them printed in Chitawira Township or at the Trade Fair grounds in Blantyre and sell them at a profit. Today, soaring prices and shrinking customer demand have turned what was once a reliable source of income into a daily struggle for survival.
“Before 2020, I could service at least 10 customers every week. At the time, we could buy what we call pilot T-shirts at K3,500 and, after screen printing, charge customers K5,000 per T-shirt. We could get orders for 10 T-shirts for a birthday or women’s groupings and business was smooth. “Today that T-shirt is selling at K12,000. For me to cover all the expenses, I need to charge at least K20,000 and if some customer wanted to give me business for 10 T-shirts, that is already K200,000 and the customers are drawing back. Now I am only able to find two customers a week,” Sankhani said.
His experience mirrors the reality facing many urban dwellers across the country as the cost of basic necessities continues to rise faster than incomes. According to the latest Cost of Living Analysis Report released by the Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam), an average urban household of six now requires K1.15 million per month to meet basic food, non-food and transport needs.
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The report shows that the monthly cost of living stood at K1,151,911 in May 2026, down marginally from K1,152,606 recorded in April, representing a decrease of just 0.06 percent. The report indicates that while food prices declined slightly by 0.12 percent between April and May, non-food costs continued to rise and transport expenses remained unchanged at K140,000 per month.
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Malawi School of Government economist Francis Thauzeni said households have little choice but to adjust their lifestyles by prioritising essential spending, using public transport and opting for cheaper food alternatives such as sweet potatoes.
“Indeed, the cost of living is high. This is evidenced even by looking at the majority of Malawians that have resorted to just walking on foot going to work and business premises in town. “The government needs to expand social cash transfer programmes, public works initiatives and affordable financing schemes to support struggling households and small businesses,” Thauzeni said.
Another economist Veli Nyirongo said the slight reduction in the cost of living recorded in May offers little relief to ordinary Malawians.
“The latest cost-ofliving figures show that life remains extremely difficult for most Malawians. Although the total cost of living fell slightly in May 2026, the reduction was very small and is unlikely to make any real difference to households,” Nyirongo said. He noted that inflation remains high while incomes continue to lag behind rising prices, forcing many families to reduce consumption, skip meals and postpone spending on critical services such as education and healthcare.
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For Sankhani, however, economic solutions cannot come soon enough. Each day he walks the long road from Mbayani to Limbe hoping for customers and better business. Until conditions improve, the journey remains a reminder of the growing pressure that rising living costs are placing on thousands of urban households across Malawi.
