Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botswana and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $841 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Botswana and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Botswana versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Botswana $841
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Botswana versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Botswana $1,289
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Botswana versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Botswana $1,737
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $3–$1,034 in Botswana. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Botswana costs about 66% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Botswana (38% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 P 135

$21.48 £16.15

-53.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 P 388

$85.7 £64.4

-66.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 P 79.6

$10.61 £7.98

-44.30%

Cappuccino

$2.36 P 31.77

$4.91 £3.69

-51.93%

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

$0.74 P 9.96

$2.66 £2.00

-72.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.98

$1.87 £1.40

-76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 P 25.73

$6.63 £4.98

-71.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 P 32.52

$6.84 £5.14

-64.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 P 20.03

$1.68 £1.26

-11.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 P 11.20

$1.72 £1.29

-51.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 P 24.06

$2.17 £1.63

-17.51%

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.81

$4.00 £3.01

-39.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 P 87.9

$9.42 £7.08

-30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 P 61.7

$9.19 £6.90

-50.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 P 67.4

$14.77 £11.10

-66.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 P 20.77

$2.97 £2.23

-48.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 P 18.44

$1.62 £1.22

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 P 26.95

$2.85 £2.15

-29.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.38

$3.52 £2.65

-54.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 P 18.56

$1.83 £1.38

-24.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.56

$1.61 £1.21

-19.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 P 17.56

$1.25 £0.94

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 P 12.01

$1.66 £1.25

-46.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 P 50.1

$23.65 £17.77

-84.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.24 P 57.1

$10.50 £7.89

-59.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 P 19.67

$2.98 £2.24

-51.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 P 24.20

$3.51 £2.64

-48.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.04

$3.98 £2.99

-83.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.26 P 408

$107 £80.7

-71.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.20

$5.18 £3.89

-88.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.86

$2.35 £1.76

6.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 P 38.88

$26.84 £20.17

-89.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.78

$1.99 £1.49

-33.67%

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

$30.9K P 416.3K

$39.4K £29.6K

-21.67%

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

$20.4K P 274.2K

$40.5K £30.4K

-49.72%

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

$59.8 P 805

$327 £246

-81.73%

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

$18.87 P 254

$18.21 £13.69

3.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.45 P 585

$43.60 £32.77

-0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 P 440

$42.36 £31.83

-22.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.51 P 222

$18.22 £13.69

-9.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 P 83.5

$13.85 £10.41

-55.23%

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

$141 P 1,904

$1,868 £1,404

-92.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,233 P 30.1K

$22.6K £17.0K

-90.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 P 665

$92.9 £69.8

-46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.76 P 280

$45.92 £34.51

-54.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 P 1,035

$102 £76.4

-24.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 P 1,179

$102 £76.8

-14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 P 3,885

$1,342 £1,009

-78.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 P 2,772

$1,073 £807

-80.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 P 6,799

$2,231 £1,677

-77.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 P 4,364

$1,742 £1,309

-81.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 P 26.6K

$5,601 £4,210

-64.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,242 P 16.7K

$4,265 £3,205

-70.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$851 P 11.5K

$3,349 £2,517

-74.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

5.32

112.97%

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

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botswana

$206 24.5%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 422% $868

Groceries & Markets

Botswana

$171 20.4%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 79.3% $136

Eating Out

Botswana

$145 17.3%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 126% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botswana

$122 14.5%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 219% $267

Clothing & Footwear

Botswana

$106 12.5%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 46.2% $49

Getting Around

Botswana

$46 5.5%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 204% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Botswana

$45 5.4%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 55.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $259 in Botswana, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $353 in Gaborone vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $957 in Botswana, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 397% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 186% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 237% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Botswana

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

2 h behind Botswana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,480,244

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.42 USD

100 BWP = 6.67 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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 = 14.99 BWP (100 BWP = 6.67 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Botswana United Kingdom 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Botswana
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 193% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $259 in Botswana. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Botswana, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Botswana wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.