Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botswana and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $841 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
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Botswana Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Botswana and in Italy

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 Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Botswana versus $1,843 in Italy.

Botswana $841
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Botswana versus $2,816 in Italy.

Botswana $1,289
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Botswana versus $3,788 in Italy.

Botswana $1,737
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $3–$1,034 in Botswana. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Botswana costs about 54% less than in Italy on average.

Botswana (38% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 P 134

$20.46 €18.32

-51.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 P 388

$79.5 €71.2

-63.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 P 79.5

$11.15 €9.99

-47.00%

Cappuccino

$2.36 P 31.73

$2.04 €1.83

15.69%

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

$0.74 P 9.95

$3.10 €2.78

-76.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.97

$1.40 €1.25

-68.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 P 25.70

$5.51 €4.94

-65.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 P 32.48

$5.74 €5.14

-58.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 P 20.00

$1.57 €1.41

-5.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 P 11.19

$2.38 €2.13

-65.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 P 24.03

$2.90 €2.60

-38.28%

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.76

$4.07 €3.65

-40.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 P 87.8

$17.44 €15.62

-62.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 P 61.6

$12.56 €11.25

-63.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 P 67.3

$20.17 €18.06

-75.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 P 20.74

$2.58 €2.31

-40.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 P 18.41

$2.19 €1.96

-37.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 P 26.92

$2.68 €2.40

-25.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.35

$3.27 €2.93

-51.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 P 18.53

$1.90 €1.70

-27.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.54

$1.82 €1.63

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 P 17.54

$1.57 €1.40

-17.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 P 12.00

$0.55 €0.49

61.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 P 50.0

$6.69 €5.99

-44.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.24 P 57.1

$7.99 €7.15

-46.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 P 19.64

$1.77 €1.59

-17.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 P 24.17

$2.35 €2.11

-23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.02

$1.91 €1.71

-64.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.26 P 407

$43.44 €38.90

-30.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.19

$5.62 €5.03

-89.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.81

$1.71 €1.54

46.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 P 38.83

$33.64 €30.12

-91.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.76

$2.03 €1.82

-34.98%

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

$30.9K P 415.7K

$35.3K €31.6K

-12.49%

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

$20.4K P 273.9K

$36.7K €32.9K

-44.61%

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

$59.8 P 804

$227 €203

-73.62%

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

$18.87 P 254

$11.59 €10.38

62.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.45 P 585

$30.38 €27.21

43.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 P 439

$51.8 €46.37

-36.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.51 P 222

$23.70 €21.22

-30.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 P 83.4

$10.60 €9.50

-41.51%

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

$141 P 1,902

$568 €508

-75.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,233 P 30.0K

$11.5K €10.3K

-80.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 P 664

$90.5 €81.1

-45.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.76 P 279

$38.55 €34.53

-46.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 P 1,033

$103 €91.9

-25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 P 1,178

$131 €117

-33.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 P 3,880

$826 €739

-65.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 P 2,768

$646 €579

-68.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 P 6,789

$1,400 €1,254

-63.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 P 4,359

$1,054 €944

-69.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 P 26.6K

$3,662 €3,280

-46.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,242 P 16.7K

$2,301 €2,061

-46.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$851 P 11.5K

$1,886 €1,689

-54.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

3.56

218.26%

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

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botswana

$206 24.5%

Italy

$646 35.1% 214% $440

Groceries & Markets

Botswana

$171 20.4%

Italy

$348 18.9% 103% $176

Eating Out

Botswana

$145 17.3%

Italy

$279 15.1% 92% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botswana

$122 14.5%

Italy

$269 14.6% 120% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Botswana

$106 12.5%

Italy

$163 8.9% 54.7% $58

Getting Around

Botswana

$46 5.5%

Italy

$65 3.5% 41.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Botswana

$45 5.4%

Italy

$73 4% 62% $28

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $259 in Botswana, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $353 in Gaborone vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $957 in Botswana, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 181% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 152% more in Italy.

Public transport is 43% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 97% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Botswana.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Botswana

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

1 h behind Botswana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,480,244

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 13.45 BWP (100 BWP = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Botswana Italy 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Botswana
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $1,843 in Italy, Botswana comes out about 54% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Botswana: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $259 in Botswana. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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