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Cost of Living Comparison Between Botswana and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Botswana and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Botswana is 1.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 26.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Botswana is 6.4% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 22.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.32 P 103
$8.84 R 145
-17.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.21 P 423
$38.50 R 631
-21.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.99 P 83.9
$5.07 R 83.2
18.15%
Cappuccino
$2.19 P 30.71
$2.04 R 33.40
7.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 P 12.70
$1.04 R 17.02
-12.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 P 7.48
$0.74 R 12.08
-28.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 P 32.06
$2.31 R 37.83
-0.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 P 40.75
$2.47 R 40.57
17.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 P 19.24
$1.07 R 17.55
28.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.84 P 11.82
$1.01 R 16.51
-16.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 P 24.50
$1.57 R 25.79
11.46%
Eggs
$2.18 P 30.56
$2.33 R 38.26
-6.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.40 P 104
$7.68 R 126
-3.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.34 P 74.8
$4.47 R 73.4
19.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.52 P 77.4
$6.60 R 108
-16.36%
Apples (1kg)
$1.76 P 24.64
$1.56 R 25.55
12.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 P 18.72
$1.45 R 23.80
-7.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 P 24.81
$1.51 R 24.79
17.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 P 21.30
$1.49 R 24.39
2.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 P 19.46
$1.21 R 19.91
14.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 P 18.16
$1.33 R 21.80
-2.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 P 16.32
$1.08 R 17.70
7.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 P 12.22
$0.94 R 15.34
-7.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.55 P 49.72
$2.85 R 46.74
24.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.55 P 63.8
$4.89 R 80.3
-6.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 P 23.49
$1.38 R 22.64
21.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 P 28.40
$1.69 R 27.65
20.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 P 7.12
$1.73 R 28.33
-70.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.24 P 396
$45.33 R 743
-37.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 P 8.22
$1.10 R 18.01
-46.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.62 P 36.77
$1.10 R 18.03
138.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.96 P 41.50
$4.69 R 76.9
-36.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 P 16.15
$1.30 R 21.32
-11.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K P 307.5K
$20.6K R 337.3K
6.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.9K P 236.7K
$24.2K R 396.4K
-30.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$65.8 P 922
$110 R 1,811
-40.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.70 P 374
$32.07 R 526
-16.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$78.2 P 1,096
$40.81 R 669
91.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.34 P 453
$31.33 R 514
3.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.36 P 145
$9.44 R 155
9.75%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 P 95.1
$6.90 R 113
-1.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$166 P 2,332
$187 R 3,074
-11.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,607 P 50.5K
$4,385 R 71.9K
-17.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.22 P 634
$49.70 R 815
-9.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.30 P 298
$31.23 R 512
-31.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 P 1,067
$93.0 R 1,526
-18.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.1 P 1,220
$79.7 R 1,307
9.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$237 P 3,319
$443 R 7,265
-46.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$149 P 2,089
$369 R 6,048
-59.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$508 P 7,110
$890 R 14.6K
-42.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 P 4,865
$724 R 11.9K
-52.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,044 P 28.6K
$1,125 R 18.5K
81.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,283 P 18.0K
$823 R 13.5K
55.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$822 P 11.5K
$1,486 R 24.4K
-44.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.12
11.55
-21.04%

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

Last update for Botswana: January 13, 2026

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

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