Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $845 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
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Gaborone Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$845

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gaborone and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $845 in Gaborone versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Gaborone $845
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,307 in Gaborone versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Gaborone $1,307
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Gaborone versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Gaborone $1,768
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Gaborone costs roughly 62% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gaborone is 38% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 P 147

$16.65 €14.95

-34.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.05 P 392

$61.7 €55.5

-52.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 P 77.8

$11.36 €10.20

-49.30%

Cappuccino

$2.35 P 31.67

$2.97 €2.67

-20.88%

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

$0.68 P 9.24

$2.29 €2.06

-70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 P 5.46

$1.74 €1.56

-77.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 P 27.17

$3.40 €3.06

-40.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 P 33.44

$3.31 €2.97

-25.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 P 19.94

$1.16 €1.04

27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 P 11.30

$1.91 €1.72

-56.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 P 24.04

$1.51 €1.36

17.88%

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.90

$4.02 €3.61

-39.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 P 88.0

$12.94 €11.62

-49.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 P 59.8

$7.77 €6.98

-42.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.99 P 67.3

$17.76 €15.95

-71.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.40

$2.30 €2.07

-30.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 P 19.49

$1.73 €1.56

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 P 26.74

$1.86 €1.67

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 P 22.47

$2.59 €2.33

-35.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.47

$1.82 €1.64

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 P 16.29

$1.97 €1.77

-38.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.27

$1.47 €1.32

-12.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 P 13.10

$0.72 €0.65

34.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 P 48.56

$6.58 €5.91

-45.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 P 57.3

$5.61 €5.04

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 P 18.68

$1.36 €1.22

1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 P 24.04

$2.14 €1.92

-16.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 P 8.40

$2.33 €2.10

-73.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.95 P 404

$44.68 €40.14

-32.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 P 8.14

$3.85 €3.46

-84.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 P 33.24

$1.07 €0.96

129.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 P 39.52

$16.46 €14.79

-82.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.84

$2.20 €1.98

-40.00%

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

$30.0K P 404.8K

$34.2K €30.7K

-12.23%

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

$20.1K P 271.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-48.08%

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

$61.0 P 823

$161 €145

-62.18%

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

$18.34 P 247

$18.41 €16.54

-0.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 P 589

$32.74 €29.41

33.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.07 P 460

$44.55 €40.02

-23.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 P 220

$19.10 €17.16

-14.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.23 P 84.1

$9.60 €8.62

-35.10%

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

$129 P 1,744

$668 €600

-80.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,545 P 34.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

-85.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 P 650

$102 €91.6

-52.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.72 P 226

$44.46 €39.94

-62.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 P 972

$98.5 €88.5

-26.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 P 1,060

$124 €111

-36.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 P 4,763

$1,608 €1,445

-78.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 P 2,824

$1,190 €1,069

-82.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 P 7,198

$2,812 €2,526

-81.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 P 4,802

$2,013 €1,808

-82.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,034 P 27.4K

$7,839 €7,042

-74.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,260 P 17.0K

$4,576 €4,110

-72.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 P 6,087

$1,575 €1,415

-71.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

3.85

194.29%

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

Last update for Gaborone: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$209 24.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 469% $981

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$172 20.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 58.7% $101

Eating Out

Gaborone

$152 18%

Lisbon

$243 11% 59.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$123 14.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 72.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$97 11.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 71.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$47 5.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 37% $17

Getting Around

Gaborone

$45 5.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 39.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $353 in Gaborone and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Gaborone vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $272 per month, with Gaborone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

2 h behind Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gaborone Lisbon 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gaborone
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaborone is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Gaborone. 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: $353 in Gaborone versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gaborone – a meal for two runs $29 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $845 in Gaborone versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gaborone but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Gaborone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.