Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Francistown and Palapye

For one person, living is cheaper in Palapye: $569 a month against $1,034 in Francistown, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Francistown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Palapye
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Palapye Living Index

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Francistown

🇧🇼 Botswana

$1,034

/mo nomad

Palapye

🇧🇼 Botswana

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Francistown and in Palapye

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

A single person spends $1,034 per month in Francistown vs $569 in Palapye, rent included.

Francistown $1,034
Palapye $569

A couple spends around $866 per month in Francistown vs $915 in Palapye, rent included.

Francistown $866
Palapye $915

A family of three spends $697 per month in Francistown vs $1,261 in Palapye, rent included.

Francistown $697
Palapye $1,261

Francistown costs about 82% more than Palapye, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Francistown and Palapye are more affordable than the global median – Francistown 24% lower, Palapye 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 P 149

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 P 384

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 P 77.8

Cappuccino

$2.26 P 30.52

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

$0.74 P 10.00

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 P 5.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 P 19.75

$2.01 P 27.12

-27.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 P 35.23

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 P 17.48

$1.54 P 20.76

-15.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 P 9.15

$0.82 P 11.12

-17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 P 24.08

Eggs

$1.85 P 24.98

$2.44 P 32.93

-24.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 P 84.6

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 P 80.9

$4.40 P 59.3

36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.34 P 85.6

$5.00 P 67.5

26.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 P 14.54

$1.58 P 21.36

-31.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 P 19.08

$1.46 P 19.68

-3.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 P 19.73

$2.07 P 27.88

-29.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 P 19.01

$1.61 P 21.78

-12.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 P 21.82

$1.30 P 17.55

24.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 P 19.18

$1.15 P 15.50

23.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 P 12.67

$1.28 P 17.22

-26.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 P 10.98

$0.96 P 13.00

-15.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 P 73.3

$3.57 P 48.13

52.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.36 P 58.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 P 18.98

$1.40 P 18.88

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 P 24.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 P 7.66

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 P 8.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 P 38.17

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 P 14.65

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

$30.6K P 412.5K

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

$20.3K P 274.1K

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

$59.7 P 806

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

$18.73 P 253

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.46 P 600

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.30 P 395

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 P 85.6

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

$110 P 1,486

$127 P 1,712

-13.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,773 P 23.9K

$2,472 P 33.3K

-28.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 P 776

$46.80 P 631

22.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 P 443

$16.81 P 227

95.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 P 1,450

$72.6 P 979

48.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 P 1,469

$78.1 P 1,054

39.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 P 9,799

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 P 5,400

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

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

Last update for Francistown: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palapye: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Francistown

–

Palapye

$172 30.1%

Eating Out

Francistown

–

Palapye

$153 26.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Francistown

–

Palapye

$123 21.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Francistown

–

Palapye

$96 16.9%

Getting Around

Francistown

–

Palapye

$13 * 2.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Francistown

–

Palapye

$13 * 2.2%

Accommodation & Living

Francistown

–

Palapye

- * 0%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Francistown

🇧🇼 Palapye

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

Same time as Francistown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,079

26,000

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Francistown Palapye 160 km

From you

Francistown
Palapye

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

Francistown vs Palapye: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,034 in Francistown, $569 in Palapye – Palapye comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,552 per month in Francistown and $854 in Palapye. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $110 per month in Francistown and $127 in Palapye. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,034 in Francistown and $569 in Palapye. That makes Palapye about 45% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,034 in Francistown and $569 in Palapye, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Francistown has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $569 in Palapye to $1,034 in Francistown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.