Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $841 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
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Botswana Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in Botswana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Canada and in Botswana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,310 in Canada versus $841 in Botswana.

Canada $2,310
Botswana $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,356 in Canada versus $1,289 in Botswana.

Canada $3,356
Botswana $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,403 in Canada versus $1,737 in Botswana.

Canada $4,403
Botswana $1,737

Internal cost variation is higher in Canada: monthly costs span $889 to $3,737, compared to $3–$1,034 in Botswana. City choice carries more weight in Canada.

Living in Canada is roughly 175% more expensive than in Botswana on average.

Canada (70% above) and Botswana (38% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.52

$9.99 P 135

81.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$100

$28.81 P 388

147.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.19

$5.91 P 79.6

82.91%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.31

$2.36 P 31.77

60.17%

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

$2.11 CA$2.97

$0.74 P 9.96

185.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$0.44 P 5.98

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.89

$1.91 P 25.73

194.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.04

$2.41 P 32.52

137.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$1.49 P 20.03

45.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.66

$0.83 P 11.20

213.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.13

$1.79 P 24.06

103.91%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.10

$2.44 P 32.81

48.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.12

$6.53 P 87.9

64.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.72

$4.58 P 61.7

159.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.67

$5.00 P 67.4

208.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.66

$1.54 P 20.77

161.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.37 P 18.44

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.44

$2.00 P 26.95

94.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.74

$1.59 P 21.38

156.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$1.38 P 18.56

86.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$1.30 P 17.56

90.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$1.30 P 17.56

103.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.41

$0.89 P 12.01

92.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.12

$3.72 P 50.1

284.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.95

$4.24 P 57.1

218.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$1.46 P 19.67

94.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.64

$1.80 P 24.20

83.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.59

$0.67 P 9.04

280.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

$30.26 P 408

137.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.47

$0.61 P 8.20

421.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$2.51 P 33.86

-38.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.50

$2.89 P 38.88

823.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.32 P 17.78

-6.06%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$30.9K P 416.3K

-9.78%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$20.4K P 274.2K

3.49%

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

$147 CA$207

$59.8 P 805

146.62%

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

$41.80 CA$58.7

$18.87 P 254

121.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.6

$43.45 P 585

38.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.8

$32.65 P 440

19.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.78

$16.51 P 222

15.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.75

$6.20 P 83.5

80.81%

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

$721 CA$1,013

$141 P 1,904

410.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.9K

$2,233 P 30.1K

564.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.7

$49.33 P 665

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.7

$20.76 P 280

87.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$123

$76.8 P 1,035

13.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$87.6 P 1,179

15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,813

$288 P 3,885

347.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,588

$206 P 2,772

449.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,861

$505 P 6,799

303.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,432

$324 P 4,364

434.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,700

$1,976 P 26.6K

141.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,240

$1,242 P 16.7K

200.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,313

$851 P 11.5K

260.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

11.33

-57.02%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Botswana

$206 24.5% 81.8% $924

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Botswana

$171 20.4% 53.8% $200

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Botswana

$145 17.3% 47.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Botswana

$122 14.5% 51.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Botswana

$106 12.5% 17.1% $22

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Botswana

$46 5.5% 50.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Botswana

$45 5.4% 26.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,250 in Canada, $259 in Botswana. Capital cities: $1,434 in Ottawa vs $353 in Gaborone.

National salary averages: $2,968 in Canada, $957 in Botswana. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 383% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 121% more in Canada.

Public transport is 120% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 3.1 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇧🇼 Botswana

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

11:24 11:24 AM

6 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

2,480,244

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 BWP = 7.42 USD

100 BWP = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canada Botswana 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
Botswana

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

Canada vs Botswana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $2,310 in Canada, there’s a 175% 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 $1,250 in Canada 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 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.