Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $866 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
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Gaborone Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$866

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gaborone and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Gaborone versus $1,806 in Athens.

Gaborone $866
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,301 in Gaborone versus $2,731 in Athens.

Gaborone $1,301
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Gaborone versus $3,656 in Athens.

Gaborone $1,737
Athens $3,656

Living in Gaborone costs roughly 52% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gaborone is 35% below, Athens is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 P 148

$16.66 €14.87

-33.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.11 P 390

$66.2 €59.1

-56.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 P 78.6

$11.06 €9.87

-46.93%

Cappuccino

$2.37 P 31.70

$4.14 €3.69

-42.75%

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

$0.71 P 9.45

$2.80 €2.50

-74.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.87

$0.57 €0.51

-22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 P 26.47

$5.64 €5.03

-64.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 P 34.24

$5.46 €4.87

-53.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 P 19.66

$1.96 €1.75

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 P 11.59

$1.41 €1.26

-38.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 P 26.48

$2.83 €2.53

-30.04%

Eggs

$2.54 P 34.06

$5.04 €4.50

-49.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 P 86.4

$15.35 €13.70

-57.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 P 63.9

$10.34 €9.23

-53.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.88 P 65.4

$18.97 €16.93

-74.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 P 22.01

$2.17 €1.93

-24.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 P 18.73

$1.91 €1.70

-26.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 P 26.07

$1.38 €1.23

41.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 P 22.13

$2.20 €1.96

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 P 17.53

$1.10 €0.98

19.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 P 15.40

$1.13 €1.00

1.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.20

$1.10 €0.99

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 P 12.50

$0.83 €0.74

12.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 P 49.75

$5.60 €4.99

-33.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.39 P 58.8

$10.19 €9.09

-56.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 P 19.23

$2.18 €1.95

-34.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 P 23.26

$2.45 €2.19

-28.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.00

$1.38 €1.23

-51.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.16 P 404

$30.87 €27.55

-2.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 P 8.60

$4.37 €3.90

-85.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 P 35.04

$1.04 €0.93

150.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 P 38.37

$17.11 €15.27

-83.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.74

$2.31 €2.07

-42.86%

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

$19.6K P 263.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

-29.86%

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

$19.9K P 266.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

-29.04%

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

$60.2 P 807

$210 €187

-71.30%

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

$19.85 P 266

$26.70 €23.83

-25.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.94 P 575

$30.13 €26.89

42.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.16 P 458

$54.6 €48.72

-37.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 P 215

$26.03 €23.23

-38.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 P 80.1

$10.78 €9.62

-44.53%

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

$130 P 1,740

$575 €513

-77.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,526 P 33.8K

$13.1K €11.7K

-80.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.16 P 645

$93.2 €83.1

-48.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.58 P 222

$40.68 €36.30

-59.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 P 991

$104 €92.9

-28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 P 1,049

$128 €115

-39.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 P 4,860

$756 €674

-52.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 P 2,941

$652 €582

-66.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 P 7,263

$1,294 €1,154

-58.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 P 4,741

$1,163 €1,038

-69.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,021 P 27.1K

$4,008 €3,577

-49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 P 16.8K

$3,452 €3,081

-63.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$450 P 6,033

$1,243 €1,110

-63.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

4.48

152.90%

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

Last update for Gaborone: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$219 25.5%

Athens

$652 36.5% 197% $433

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$174 20.2%

Athens

$315 17.6% 81% $141

Eating Out

Gaborone

$154 17.9%

Athens

$269 15% 74.7% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$123 14.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 117% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$98 11.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 68.8% $67

Getting Around

Gaborone

$47 5.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 1.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$46 5.4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 65.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $363 in Gaborone and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 176% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Gaborone vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $315 per month, with Gaborone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

1 h ahead of Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.46 USD

100 BWP = 6.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 13.4 BWP (100 BWP = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 15.03 BWP (100 BWP = 6.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gaborone Athens 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Gaborone
Athens

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

Gaborone vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaborone wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gaborone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 176% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $363 in Gaborone versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gaborone – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $866 per month in Gaborone versus $1,806 in Athens – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $866 in Gaborone versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gaborone but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gaborone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gaborone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $866 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gaborone hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gaborone and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gaborone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.