Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $835 a month against $2,589 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
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Botswana Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,589

/mo nomad

🇧🇼 Botswana

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Botswana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Botswana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Australia vs $835 in Botswana, rent included.

Australia $2,589
Botswana $835

A couple spends around $3,789 per month in Australia vs $1,284 in Botswana, rent included.

Australia $3,789
Botswana $1,284

A family of three spends $4,990 per month in Australia vs $1,733 in Botswana, rent included.

Australia $4,990
Botswana $1,733

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,299) than in Botswana ($3–$1,020), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 210% higher than in Botswana on average.

Australia sits 91% above the global median, while Botswana is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 A$24.57

$9.83 P 131

75.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$29.27 P 390

190.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 A$15.93

$5.84 P 77.9

91.44%

Cappuccino

$4.01 A$5.71

$2.39 P 31.83

67.78%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 A$4.13

$0.78 P 10.38

271.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.28

$0.41 P 5.45

460.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.03

$1.89 P 25.20

309.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.63

$2.38 P 31.74

242.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 A$2.46

$1.43 P 19.09

20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.83

$0.83 P 11.11

224.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.86 P 24.77

20.43%

Eggs

$4.95 A$7.05

$2.36 P 31.40

109.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.43

$6.40 P 85.4

47.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 A$13.39

$4.66 P 62.1

101.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 A$21.80

$5.18 P 69.1

195.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.21

$1.47 P 19.60

148.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.39

$1.34 P 17.91

129.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.66

$1.91 P 25.47

71.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.53

$1.56 P 20.84

194.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$1.37 P 18.28

106.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.23

$1.24 P 16.48

82.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.38

$1.24 P 16.59

91.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.36

$0.89 P 11.82

86.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.43 A$54.8

$3.59 P 47.84

970.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 A$20.25

$4.38 P 58.3

224.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.06

$1.40 P 18.67

253.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.31

$1.78 P 23.74

188.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 A$3.51

$0.64 P 8.52

284.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$133

$29.89 P 398

211.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.22

$0.63 P 8.43

480.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 A$2.59

$2.60 P 34.68

-30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.83 A$62.5

$2.89 P 38.51

1416.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.33 P 17.79

1.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K A$42.5K

$30.9K P 411.6K

-3.37%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.1K A$37.2K

$20.0K P 267.2K

30.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$208 A$297

$59.8 P 797

248.04%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.05 A$41.39

$14.66 P 195

98.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 A$83.6

$43.52 P 580

34.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.4

$33.54 P 447

68.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.40 A$27.65

$16.49 P 220

17.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 A$21.53

$6.04 P 80.5

150.17%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,113 A$3,011

$141 P 1,881

1397.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.9K

$4,994 P 66.6K

362.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$49.71 P 663

60.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.3

$20.70 P 276

161.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$159

$77.2 P 1,028

44.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$178

$87.7 P 1,169

42.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 A$2,309

$287 P 3,826

464.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 A$1,790

$206 P 2,745

509.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,616 A$3,728

$504 P 6,722

418.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 A$2,860

$331 P 4,414

506.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,539 A$12.2K

$2,040 P 27.2K

318.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,404 A$9,125

$1,255 P 16.7K

410.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 A$5,601

$829 P 11.1K

374.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

11.33

-47.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Last update for Botswana: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 48.5%

Botswana

$206 24.7% 83.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$373 14.4%

Botswana

$170 20.4% 54.4% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$296 11.4%

Botswana

$118 14.1% 60.1% $178

Eating Out

Australia

$295 11.4%

Botswana

$144 17.2% 51.3% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$167 6.4%

Botswana

$106 12.7% 36.5% $61

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.5%

Botswana

$46 5.5% 60.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Botswana

$46 5.5% 47.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,381 in Australia vs $256 in Botswana. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,761 in Canberra and $352 in Gaborone.

Average salary: $3,863 in Australia vs $947 in Botswana. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 439% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 186% more in Australia.

Public transport is 183% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 4.1 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇧🇼 Botswana

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

00:25 12:25 AM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

2,480,244

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 BWP = 7.5 USD

100 BWP = 6.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 13.33 BWP (100 BWP = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 14.96 BWP (100 BWP = 6.68 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Botswana 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Botswana

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Australia vs Botswana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Botswana is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 68% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,381 versus $256 in Botswana.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Botswana – part of why living there is about 68% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Botswana, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Botswana is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.