Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botswana and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $841 in Botswana, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Botswana despite lower rent and utilities.

40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
Learn more

Botswana Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Botswana and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Botswana versus $791 in China.

Botswana $841
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Botswana versus $1,251 in China.

Botswana $1,289
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Botswana versus $1,711 in China.

Botswana $1,737
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Botswana: monthly costs span $3 to $1,034, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Botswana.

Living in Botswana is roughly 6% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Botswana 38% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 P 134

$2.98 ¥19.78

235.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 P 388

$22.09 ¥147

30.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 P 79.5

$5.20 ¥34.55

13.65%

Cappuccino

$2.36 P 31.73

$2.97 ¥19.71

-20.54%

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

$0.74 P 9.95

$0.48 ¥3.18

54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.97

$0.30 ¥2.00

46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 P 25.70

$1.08 ¥7.17

76.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 P 32.48

$2.28 ¥15.13

5.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 P 20.00

$1.80 ¥11.94

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 P 11.19

$1.68 ¥11.13

-50.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 P 24.03

$0.92 ¥6.13

94.57%

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.76

$1.61 ¥10.72

51.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 P 87.8

$13.38 ¥88.9

-51.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 P 61.6

$3.35 ¥22.25

36.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 P 67.3

$11.35 ¥75.4

-55.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 P 20.74

$1.82 ¥12.11

-15.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 P 18.41

$1.31 ¥8.68

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 P 26.92

$1.49 ¥9.88

34.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.35

$1.27 ¥8.46

25.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 P 18.53

$0.71 ¥4.73

94.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.54

$0.93 ¥6.20

39.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 P 17.54

$0.62 ¥4.11

109.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 P 12.00

$0.56 ¥3.73

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 P 50.0

$3.78 ¥25.12

-1.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.24 P 57.1

$12.13 ¥80.6

-65.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 P 19.64

$0.83 ¥5.53

75.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 P 24.17

$1.68 ¥11.19

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.02

$0.29 ¥1.91

131.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.26 P 407

$17.83 ¥118

69.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.19

$1.49 ¥9.88

-59.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.81

$0.37 ¥2.49

578.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 P 38.83

$7.10 ¥47.17

-59.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.76

$1.26 ¥8.36

4.76%

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

$30.9K P 415.7K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

58.91%

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

$20.4K P 273.9K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

16.08%

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

$59.8 P 804

$54.6 ¥363

9.53%

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

$18.87 P 254

$8.73 ¥58.0

116.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.45 P 585

$11.07 ¥73.5

292.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 P 439

$40.77 ¥271

-19.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.51 P 222

$14.48 ¥96.2

14.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 P 83.4

$6.78 ¥45.05

-8.55%

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

$141 P 1,902

$517 ¥3,433

-72.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,233 P 30.0K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-88.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 P 664

$46.53 ¥309

6.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.76 P 279

$35.66 ¥237

-41.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 P 1,033

$77.0 ¥512

-0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 P 1,178

$80.3 ¥533

9.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 P 3,880

$386 ¥2,564

-25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 P 2,768

$235 ¥1,558

-12.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 P 6,789

$822 ¥5,461

-38.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 P 4,359

$453 ¥3,011

-28.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 P 26.6K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-57.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,242 P 16.7K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-47.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$851 P 11.5K

$1,093 ¥7,264

-22.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

3.46

227.46%

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

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botswana

$206 24.5%

China

$235 29.6% 14% $29

Groceries & Markets

Botswana

$171 20.4%

China

$210 26.5% 22.5% $39

Eating Out

Botswana

$145 17.3%

China

$88 11.1% 39.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botswana

$122 14.5%

China

$74 9.4% 39.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Botswana

$106 12.5%

China

$108 13.6% 2.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Botswana

$46 5.5%

China

$22 2.8% 51.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Botswana

$45 5.4%

China

$54 6.9% 20.6% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $259 in Botswana, $298 in China. Capital cities: $353 in Gaborone vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $957 in Botswana, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in China.

Dining out costs 32% more in Botswana.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Botswana.

Salaries are 10% higher in Botswana.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Botswana

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

6 h ahead of Botswana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,480,244

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 13.45 BWP (100 BWP = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Botswana China 11,770 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Botswana
China

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

Botswana vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $791 in China, China comes out about 6% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.