Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Botswana Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,319 in Canada versus $294 in Botswana.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Canada versus $468 in Botswana.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,437 in Canada versus $641 in Botswana.

Living in Canada is roughly 689% more expensive than in Botswana on average.

Canada (74% above) and Botswana (78% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.63 CA$26.21

$7.47 P 99.0

149.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 CA$104

$29.66 P 393

149.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 CA$15.37

$6.22 P 82.4

75.56%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.29

$2.19 P 28.94

71.69%

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

$2.19 CA$3.08

$0.90 P 11.89

143.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.44

$0.53 P 7.04

228.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 CA$8.34

$2.20 P 29.12

169.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 CA$8.38

$3.00 P 39.68

98.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 CA$3.21

$1.43 P 18.91

59.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.76

$0.80 P 10.62

233.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.32

$1.83 P 24.21

106.56%

Eggs

$3.50 CA$4.92

$2.16 P 28.54

62.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.46

$7.47 P 98.9

56.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.30 CA$17.31

$5.14 P 68.1

139.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 CA$21.73

$5.52 P 73.1

179.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.02

$1.69 P 22.42

153.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$1.40 P 18.53

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 CA$5.64

$1.80 P 23.78

122.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 CA$6.00

$1.58 P 20.91

170.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$1.39 P 18.34

93.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$1.29 P 17.09

105.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$1.17 P 15.53

125.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 CA$2.66

$0.85 P 11.32

122.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.77 CA$20.78

$3.72 P 49.27

297.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.32 CA$18.74

$4.22 P 55.9

215.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 CA$4.17

$1.61 P 21.26

83.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 CA$4.61

$2.05 P 27.19

60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.68

$0.50 P 6.60

424.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.1 CA$110

$27.56 P 365

183.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 CA$4.81

$0.62 P 8.22

451.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.10

$2.69 P 35.67

-44.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.07 CA$40.91

$3.07 P 40.61

846.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.13 P 14.99

6.19%

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

$25.5K CA$35.8K

$22.5K P 297.4K

13.41%

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

$20.6K CA$28.9K

$16.6K P 219.3K

24.15%

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

$152 CA$213

$64.6 P 855

134.68%

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

$46.70 CA$65.7

$26.03 P 345

79.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 CA$87.0

$76.0 P 1,006

-18.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.36 CA$61.0

$32.64 P 432

32.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 CA$25.40

$10.63 P 141

69.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.51 CA$16.19

$6.59 P 87.2

74.66%

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

$806 CA$1,134

$165 P 2,187

387.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K CA$17.1K

$3,498 P 46.3K

247.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 CA$77.9

$45.03 P 596

22.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 CA$58.8

$21.31 P 282

96.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 CA$126

$75.0 P 993

19.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$149

$88.5 P 1,172

19.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 CA$1,870

$235 P 3,118

464.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,698

$149 P 1,966

712.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 CA$2,972

$518 P 6,853

308.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 CA$2,579

$349 P 4,614

425.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,639 CA$6,527

$2,043 P 27.0K

127.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,849 CA$5,415

$1,273 P 16.9K

202.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,948 CA$4,148

$849 P 11.2K

247.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

9.12

-30.59%

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

Last update for Canada: July 14, 2026

Last update for Botswana: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,281 in Canada, $39.00 in Botswana. Capital cities: $1,481 in Ottawa vs $245 in Gaborone.

National salary averages: $2,904 in Canada, $961 in Botswana. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 3185% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 467% more in Canada.

Public transport is 2067% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 202% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Botswana.

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

Canada vs Botswana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $414 per month in Botswana and $2,238 in Canada, there's a 441% 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 simply cheaper in Botswana: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Canada is consistently higher than in Botswana across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Botswana, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in Canada 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; Canada may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.