Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botswana and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $841 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
Learn more

Botswana Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Botswana and in South Africa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Botswana versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Botswana $841
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Botswana versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Botswana $1,289
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Botswana versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Botswana $1,737
South Africa $2,583

Botswana ($3–$1,034) and South Africa ($618–$1,556) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Botswana costs about 30% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Botswana 38% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 P 135

$10.67 R 177

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 P 388

$41.66 R 693

-30.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 P 79.6

$5.80 R 96.5

1.90%

Cappuccino

$2.36 P 31.77

$2.36 R 39.23

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

$0.74 P 9.96

$1.12 R 18.56

-33.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.98

$0.90 R 15.00

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 P 25.73

$2.42 R 40.20

-21.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 P 32.52

$3.06 R 50.9

-21.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 P 20.03

$1.18 R 19.58

26.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 P 11.20

$1.13 R 18.83

-26.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 P 24.06

$1.74 R 28.90

2.87%

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.81

$2.57 R 42.80

-5.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 P 87.9

$8.43 R 140

-22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 P 61.7

$5.12 R 85.1

-10.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 P 67.4

$7.59 R 126

-34.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 P 20.77

$1.77 R 29.52

-12.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 P 18.44

$1.74 R 28.90

-21.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 P 26.95

$1.77 R 29.43

12.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.38

$1.76 R 29.26

-9.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 P 18.56

$1.49 R 24.81

-7.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.56

$1.47 R 24.38

-11.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 P 17.56

$1.23 R 20.52

5.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 P 12.01

$1.10 R 18.25

-19.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 P 50.1

$3.24 R 54.0

14.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.24 P 57.1

$5.00 R 83.2

-15.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 P 19.67

$1.50 R 24.90

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 P 24.20

$1.94 R 32.26

-7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.04

$1.48 R 24.58

-54.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.26 P 408

$59.3 R 986

-48.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.20

$1.09 R 18.21

-44.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.86

$0.99 R 16.46

153.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 P 38.88

$7.46 R 124

-61.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.78

$1.43 R 23.76

-7.69%

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

$30.9K P 416.3K

$35.3K R 587.4K

-12.47%

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

$20.4K P 274.2K

$32.4K R 539.7K

-37.24%

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

$59.8 P 805

$133 R 2,208

-54.98%

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

$18.87 P 254

$34.83 R 580

-45.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.45 P 585

$39.76 R 662

9.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 P 440

$33.09 R 551

-1.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.51 P 222

$11.65 R 194

41.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 P 83.5

$7.18 R 119

-13.65%

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

$141 P 1,904

$224 R 3,728

-36.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,233 P 30.1K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-59.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 P 665

$54.2 R 902

-8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.76 P 280

$34.13 R 568

-39.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 P 1,035

$102 R 1,699

-24.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 P 1,179

$88.5 R 1,472

-1.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 P 3,885

$492 R 8,189

-41.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 P 2,772

$398 R 6,617

-48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 P 6,799

$946 R 15.7K

-46.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 P 4,364

$827 R 13.8K

-60.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 P 26.6K

$1,099 R 18.3K

79.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,242 P 16.7K

$769 R 12.8K

61.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$851 P 11.5K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-43.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

11.23

0.89%

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

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botswana

$206 24.5%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 93.3% $192

Groceries & Markets

Botswana

$171 20.4%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 14.3% $25

Eating Out

Botswana

$145 17.3%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 8.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botswana

$122 14.5%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 69.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Botswana

$106 12.5%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 19% $20

Getting Around

Botswana

$46 5.5%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 54.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Botswana

$45 5.4%

South Africa

$47 4% 5.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $259 in Botswana, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $353 in Gaborone vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $957 in Botswana, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 34% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 103% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 55% higher in South Africa.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Botswana

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

Same time as Botswana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,480,244

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.42 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.47 BWP (100 BWP = 7.42 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Botswana South Africa 500 km

From you

Botswana
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 43% gap. 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 $422 in South Africa 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; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.