Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Francistown and Pilikwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $568 a month against $1,020 in Francistown, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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 Pilikwe
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Pilikwe Living Index

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Francistown

🇧🇼 Botswana

$1,020

/mo nomad

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Francistown and in Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Francistown vs $568 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Francistown $1,020
Pilikwe $568

A couple spends around $855 per month in Francistown vs $915 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Francistown $855
Pilikwe $915

A family of three spends $691 per month in Francistown vs $1,261 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Francistown $691
Pilikwe $1,261

Francistown costs about 80% more than Pilikwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Francistown and Pilikwe are more affordable than the global median – Francistown 25% lower, Pilikwe 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.80 P 145

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.67 P 386

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 P 75.8

Cappuccino

$2.38 P 32.00

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

$0.70 P 9.44

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 P 5.79

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 P 19.01

$2.04 P 27.40

-30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 P 33.21

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 P 17.44

$1.51 P 20.35

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 P 8.41

$0.89 P 11.96

-30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 P 25.07

Eggs

$1.82 P 24.50

$2.55 P 34.27

-28.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.31 P 84.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 P 83.1

$4.45 P 59.9

38.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.08 P 81.7

$5.26 P 70.8

15.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 P 14.86

$1.59 P 21.34

-30.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 P 19.82

$1.40 P 18.83

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 P 19.24

$2.07 P 27.85

-30.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 P 18.02

$1.61 P 21.63

-16.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 P 21.81

$1.35 P 18.20

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 P 19.13

$1.21 P 16.22

17.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 P 11.77

$1.28 P 17.28

-32.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 P 10.32

$0.92 P 12.42

-16.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 P 74.8

$3.59 P 48.27

54.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 P 58.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 P 19.89

$1.46 P 19.65

1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 P 24.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 P 7.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 P 8.54

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 P 33.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 P 38.06

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.83

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

$31.0K P 416.9K

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

$20.5K P 276.0K

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

$58.7 P 790

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

$18.32 P 246

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.37 P 583

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.92 P 389

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 P 83.7

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

$109 P 1,472

$127 P 1,714

-14.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,730 P 23.3K

$2,550 P 34.3K

-32.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 P 768

$47.22 P 635

20.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.95 P 443

$17.08 P 230

92.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 P 1,434

$71.9 P 967

48.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 P 1,435

$79.2 P 1,066

34.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 P 9,619

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 P 5,507

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pilikwe: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

$173 30.6%

Eating Out

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

$152 26.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

$120 21.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

$97 17.1%

Getting Around

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

$12 * 2.2%

Accommodation & Living

Francistown

–

Pilikwe

- * 0%

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

Good to know

🇧🇼 Francistown

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Francistown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,079

1,375

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.64 EUR

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Francistown Pilikwe 180 km

From you

Francistown
Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Francistown, $568 in Pilikwe – Pilikwe comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,530 per month in Francistown and $852 in Pilikwe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Francistown and $127 in Pilikwe. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,020 in Francistown and $568 in Pilikwe. That makes Pilikwe about 44% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,020 in Francistown and $568 in Pilikwe, 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 $568 in Pilikwe to $1,020 in Francistown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.