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

😐 Solo nomad: Botswana is 0.2% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 24.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Botswana is 5.3% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 21.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.56 P 101
$9.05 R 161
-16.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.75 P 397
$38.84 R 691
-23.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.33 P 84.4
$4.9 R 87.1
29.18%
Cappuccino
$2.17 P 28.95
$1.98 R 35.28
9.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 P 11.9
$0.96 R 17.06
-7.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 P 7.22
$0.75 R 13.31
-28.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.2 P 29.29
$2.18 R 38.72
0.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 P 39.15
$2.54 R 45.1
15.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 P 18.36
$1.1 R 19.58
25.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.81 P 10.73
$1.03 R 18.32
-21.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 P 23.32
$1.56 R 27.71
12.18%
Eggs
$2.21 P 29.39
$2.25 R 39.93
-1.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.71 P 103
$7.67 R 136
0.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.24 P 69.9
$4.62 R 82.2
13.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.53 P 73.8
$6.86 R 122
-19.39%
Apples (1kg)
$1.73 P 23.05
$1.58 R 28.02
9.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 P 17.92
$1.42 R 25.3
-5.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 P 22.84
$1.44 R 25.58
18.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 P 20.47
$1.49 R 26.5
3.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 P 18.53
$1.25 R 22.16
11.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.3 P 17.37
$1.34 R 23.81
-2.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 P 15.03
$1.09 R 19.31
3.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 P 11.62
$0.96 R 17.15
-9.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.68 P 49.02
$2.9 R 51.6
26.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.71 P 62.8
$5.07 R 90.3
-7.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 P 22.23
$1.38 R 24.49
21.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 P 27.99
$1.68 R 29.79
25.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 P 6.74
$1.71 R 30.47
-70.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.16 P 375
$45.01 R 801
-37.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 P 7.81
$1.1 R 19.61
-46.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.59 P 34.56
$1.09 R 19.41
137.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.9 P 38.67
$4.8 R 85.3
-39.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 P 14.58
$1.31 R 23.23
-16.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K P 303.1K
$21K R 374.2K
8.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.5K P 219.5K
$23.7K R 421.3K
-30.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.2 P 855
$113 R 2,009
-43.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.86 P 345
$33.11 R 589
-21.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.7 P 1,009
$41.49 R 738
82.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.08 P 441
$31.69 R 564
4.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.55 P 141
$9.45 R 168
11.64%
Cinema Ticket
$6.9 P 92
$6.7 R 119
2.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$168 P 2,241
$186 R 3,303
-9.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,506 P 46.7K
$4,336 R 77.1K
-19.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.51 P 593
$48.56 R 864
-8.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.93 P 292
$30.74 R 547
-28.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76 P 1,013
$92 R 1,636
-17.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.4 P 1,164
$79.6 R 1,415
9.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$244 P 3,246
$442 R 7,860
-44.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$149 P 1,988
$370 R 6,579
-59.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 P 6,749
$880 R 15.7K
-42.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$344 P 4,580
$724 R 12.9K
-52.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,683 P 22.4K
$1,021 R 18.2K
64.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,213 P 16.2K
$803 R 14.3K
51.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Botswana
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$844 P 11.3K
$1,406 R 25K
-39.97%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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