Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $866 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$866

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gaborone and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Gaborone versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Gaborone $866
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,301 in Gaborone versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Gaborone $1,301
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,737 in Gaborone versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Gaborone $1,737
Dubai $5,788

Living in Gaborone costs roughly 70% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gaborone is 35% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 P 148

$13.04 AED 47.89

-15.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.11 P 390

$81.4 AED 299

-64.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 P 78.6

$9.32 AED 34.25

-37.02%

Cappuccino

$2.37 P 31.70

$5.97 AED 21.93

-60.30%

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

$0.71 P 9.45

$1.63 AED 5.98

-56.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.87

$0.81 AED 2.99

-45.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 P 26.47

$13.65 AED 50.1

-85.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 P 34.24

$13.38 AED 49.15

-80.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 P 19.66

$1.81 AED 6.64

-18.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 P 11.59

$1.57 AED 5.78

-44.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 P 26.48

$2.49 AED 9.16

-20.48%

Eggs

$2.54 P 34.06

$3.28 AED 12.04

-22.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 P 86.4

$12.67 AED 46.53

-49.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 P 63.9

$9.75 AED 35.80

-51.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.88 P 65.4

$13.18 AED 48.40

-62.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 P 22.01

$2.61 AED 9.57

-37.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 P 18.73

$1.93 AED 7.09

-27.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 P 26.07

$1.92 AED 7.05

1.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 P 22.13

$1.36 AED 5.00

21.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 P 17.53

$1.17 AED 4.29

11.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 P 15.40

$1.01 AED 3.71

13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.20

$1.51 AED 5.56

-15.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 P 12.50

$0.62 AED 2.29

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 P 49.75

$5.85 AED 21.50

-36.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.39 P 58.8

$16.14 AED 59.3

-72.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 P 19.23

$2.65 AED 9.74

-46.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 P 23.26

$2.95 AED 10.82

-41.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 P 9.00

$1.64 AED 6.03

-59.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.16 P 404

$73.6 AED 270

-59.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 P 8.60

$3.17 AED 11.66

-79.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 P 35.04

$0.71 AED 2.63

267.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 P 38.37

$7.96 AED 29.23

-64.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.74

$0.99 AED 3.64

33.33%

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

$19.6K P 263.0K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-28.29%

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

$19.9K P 266.4K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-11.80%

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

$60.2 P 807

$250 AED 920

-75.96%

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

$19.85 P 266

$54.2 AED 199

-63.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.94 P 575

$91.8 AED 337

-53.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.16 P 458

$98.6 AED 362

-65.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 P 215

$42.61 AED 156

-62.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 P 80.1

$16.03 AED 58.9

-62.69%

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

$130 P 1,740

$843 AED 3,098

-84.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,526 P 33.8K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-86.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.16 P 645

$68.0 AED 250

-29.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.58 P 222

$57.9 AED 213

-71.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 P 991

$101 AED 370

-26.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 P 1,049

$101 AED 371

-22.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 P 4,860

$2,380 AED 8,741

-84.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 P 2,941

$1,506 AED 5,531

-85.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 P 7,263

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-87.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 P 4,741

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-88.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,021 P 27.1K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-71.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 P 16.8K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-69.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$450 P 6,033

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-86.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

4.54

149.56%

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

Last update for Gaborone: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$219 25.5%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 586% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$174 20.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 68.4% $119

Eating Out

Gaborone

$154 17.9%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 101% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$123 14.3%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 222% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$98 11.4%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 51% $50

Getting Around

Gaborone

$47 5.4%

Dubai

$87 3% 86.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$46 5.4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 183% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $363 in Gaborone and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 653% 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 $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $293 per month, with Gaborone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

08:58 8:58 AM

2 h ahead of Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.46 USD

100 BWP = 6.65 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

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

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gaborone Dubai 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Gaborone
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaborone is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 230% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 653% lower in Dubai. 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 $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gaborone runs roughly 144% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $130 in Gaborone versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $866 in Gaborone versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gaborone but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Gaborone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gaborone is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gaborone and Dubai 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 230% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.