Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $866 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
Learn more

Gaborone Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$866

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gaborone and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Gaborone versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Gaborone $866
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,301 in Gaborone versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Gaborone $1,301
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Gaborone versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Gaborone $1,737
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Gaborone costs roughly 49% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gaborone is 35% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 P 149

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-41.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.11 P 392

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-54.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 P 78.9

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-54.43%

Cappuccino

$2.37 P 31.83

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-40.45%

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

$0.71 P 9.49

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-65.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.89

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-71.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 P 26.58

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-48.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 P 34.38

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-44.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 P 19.74

$1.44 ARS 2,180

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 P 11.64

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-64.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 P 26.58

$1.63 ARS 2,466

21.47%

Eggs

$2.54 P 34.19

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 P 86.7

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-39.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 P 64.2

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-52.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.88 P 65.7

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-64.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 P 22.10

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-40.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 P 18.80

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-35.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 P 26.17

$1.45 ARS 2,204

34.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 P 22.22

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-17.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 P 17.60

$1.24 ARS 1,884

5.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 P 15.46

$1.27 ARS 1,920

-9.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.27

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-24.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 P 12.55

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-46.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 P 49.95

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-11.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.39 P 59.0

$5.80 ARS 8,787

-24.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 P 19.31

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 P 23.35

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-37.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.04

$0.75 ARS 1,131

-10.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.16 P 406

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

11.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 P 8.63

$1.62 ARS 2,450

-60.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 P 35.18

$0.98 ARS 1,480

166.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 P 38.52

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-62.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.82

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-2.94%

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

$19.6K P 264.1K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-29.93%

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

$19.9K P 267.5K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-42.43%

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

$60.2 P 810

$216 ARS 326.8K

-72.08%

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

$19.85 P 267

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.94 P 578

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

36.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.16 P 460

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-31.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 P 216

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-6.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 P 80.4

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-42.67%

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

$130 P 1,747

$466 ARS 706.5K

-72.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,526 P 34.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-72.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.16 P 648

$122 ARS 185.1K

-60.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.58 P 223

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-82.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 P 995

$117 ARS 177.3K

-36.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 P 1,053

$140 ARS 211.8K

-43.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 P 4,880

$763 ARS 1.2M

-52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 P 2,952

$505 ARS 765.8K

-56.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 P 7,292

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-66.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 P 4,760

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-70.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,021 P 27.2K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-24.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 P 16.8K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-32.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$450 P 6,058

$954 ARS 1.4M

-52.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

57.25

-80.21%

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

Last update for Gaborone: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$219 25.5%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 130% $286

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$174 20.2%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 63.4% $110

Eating Out

Gaborone

$154 17.9%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 81.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$123 14.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 122% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$98 11.4%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 120% $117

Getting Around

Gaborone

$47 5.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 21.3% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$46 5.4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 53.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $363 in Gaborone and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 112% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $284 per month, with Gaborone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

5 h behind Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.63 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 13.45 BWP (100 BWP = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 15.09 BWP (100 BWP = 6.63 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gaborone Buenos Aires 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gaborone
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaborone and Buenos Aires differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($866 vs $1,685 including rent). Gaborone is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 112% lower in Buenos Aires. 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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $130 in Gaborone versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $866 in Gaborone versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gaborone but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Gaborone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gaborone and Buenos Aires 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 95% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.