Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $841 in Botswana, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Botswana despite lower rent and utilities.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
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Botswana Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in Botswana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $841 in Botswana.

China $791
Botswana $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,289 in Botswana.

China $1,251
Botswana $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $1,737 in Botswana.

China $1,711
Botswana $1,737

Internal cost variation is higher in Botswana: monthly costs span $3 to $1,034, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Botswana.

Living in China costs about 6% less than in Botswana on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Botswana 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$9.99 P 134

-70.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$28.81 P 388

-23.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$5.91 P 79.5

-12.01%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$2.36 P 31.73

25.85%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.74 P 9.95

-35.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.44 P 5.97

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.91 P 25.70

-43.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$2.41 P 32.48

-5.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.49 P 20.00

20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$0.83 P 11.19

102.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.79 P 24.03

-48.60%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$2.44 P 32.76

-34.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.0

$6.53 P 87.8

104.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$4.58 P 61.6

-26.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$5.00 P 67.3

127.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$1.54 P 20.74

18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.37 P 18.41

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.00 P 26.92

-25.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.59 P 21.35

-20.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.38 P 18.53

-48.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.30 P 17.54

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.30 P 17.54

-52.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.89 P 12.00

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$3.72 P 50.0

1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$4.24 P 57.1

186.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.46 P 19.64

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.80 P 24.17

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.67 P 9.02

-56.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$30.26 P 407

-41.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.61 P 8.19

144.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.51 P 33.81

-85.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.23

$2.89 P 38.83

145.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$1.32 P 17.76

-4.55%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$30.9K P 415.7K

-37.07%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$20.4K P 273.9K

-13.85%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$59.8 P 804

-8.70%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$18.87 P 254

-53.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$43.45 P 585

-74.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$32.65 P 439

24.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$16.51 P 222

-12.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$6.20 P 83.4

9.35%

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

$517 ¥3,437

$141 P 1,902

265.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$2,233 P 30.0K

787.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$49.33 P 664

-5.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$20.76 P 279

71.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$76.8 P 1,033

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$87.6 P 1,178

-8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$288 P 3,880

33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$206 P 2,768

14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$505 P 6,789

62.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$324 P 4,359

39.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$1,976 P 26.6K

137.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,242 P 16.7K

90.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$851 P 11.5K

28.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.33

-69.46%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Botswana

$206 24.5% 12.3% $29

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Botswana

$171 20.4% 18.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Botswana

$106 12.5% 2.1% $2.2

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Botswana

$145 17.3% 64.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Botswana

$122 14.5% 64.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Botswana

$45 5.4% 17.1% $9.3

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Botswana

$46 5.5% 106% $24

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $259 in Botswana. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $353 in Gaborone.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $957 in Botswana. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in China.

Dining out costs 32% more in Botswana.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Botswana.

Salaries are 10% higher in Botswana.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇧🇼 Botswana

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

2,480,244

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 13.45 BWP (100 BWP = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Botswana 11,770 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Botswana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $791 in China, China comes out about 6% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.