Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Palapye

For one person, living is cheaper in Palapye: $569 a month against $845 in Gaborone, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Palapye
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Palapye Living Index

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Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$845

/mo nomad

Palapye

🇧🇼 Botswana

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gaborone and in Palapye

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $845 in Gaborone versus $569 in Palapye.

Gaborone $845
Palapye $569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,307 in Gaborone versus $915 in Palapye.

Gaborone $1,307
Palapye $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Gaborone versus $1,261 in Palapye.

Gaborone $1,768
Palapye $1,261

Living in Gaborone is roughly 48% more expensive than in Palapye, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gaborone 38% lower, Palapye 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 P 147

$11.05 P 149

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.05 P 392

$28.49 P 384

1.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 P 77.8

Cappuccino

$2.35 P 31.67

$2.26 P 30.52

3.98%

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

$0.68 P 9.24

$0.74 P 10.00

-8.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 P 5.46

$0.40 P 5.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 P 27.17

$2.01 P 27.12

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 P 33.44

$2.61 P 35.23

-4.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 P 19.94

$1.54 P 20.76

-3.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 P 11.30

$0.82 P 11.12

2.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 P 24.04

$1.78 P 24.08

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.90

$2.44 P 32.93

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 P 88.0

$6.27 P 84.6

3.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 P 59.8

$4.40 P 59.3

0.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.99 P 67.3

$5.00 P 67.5

-0.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.40

$1.58 P 21.36

0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 P 19.49

$1.46 P 19.68

-0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 P 26.74

$2.07 P 27.88

-4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 P 22.47

$1.61 P 21.78

3.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.47

$1.30 P 17.55

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 P 16.29

$1.15 P 15.50

5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.27

$1.28 P 17.22

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 P 13.10

$0.96 P 13.00

1.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 P 48.56

$3.57 P 48.13

0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 P 57.3

$4.36 P 58.8

-2.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 P 18.68

$1.40 P 18.88

-1.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 P 24.04

$1.80 P 24.28

-1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 P 8.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.95 P 404

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 P 8.14

$0.64 P 8.64

-6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 P 33.24

$2.51 P 33.93

-1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 P 39.52

$2.83 P 38.17

3.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.84

$1.09 P 14.65

21.10%

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

$30.0K P 404.8K

$30.6K P 412.5K

-1.86%

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

$20.1K P 271.2K

$20.3K P 274.1K

-1.03%

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

$61.0 P 823

$59.7 P 806

2.08%

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

$18.34 P 247

$18.73 P 253

-2.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 P 589

$44.46 P 600

-1.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.07 P 460

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 P 220

Cinema Ticket

$6.23 P 84.1

$6.34 P 85.6

-1.74%

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

$129 P 1,744

$127 P 1,712

1.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,545 P 34.3K

$2,472 P 33.3K

2.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 P 650

$46.80 P 631

2.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.72 P 226

$16.81 P 227

-0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 P 972

$72.6 P 979

-0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 P 1,060

$78.1 P 1,054

0.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 P 4,763

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 P 2,824

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 P 7,198

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 P 4,802

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,034 P 27.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,260 P 17.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 P 6,087

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 Gaborone: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palapye: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$209 24.8%

Palapye

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$172 20.3%

Palapye

$172 30.1% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Gaborone

$152 18%

Palapye

$153 26.8% 0.5% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$123 14.6%

Palapye

$123 21.6% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$97 11.5%

Palapye

$96 16.9% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$47 5.5%

Palapye

$13 * 2.2% 72.7% $34

Getting Around

Gaborone

$45 5.4%

Palapye

$13 * 2.3% 70.9% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $29 in Gaborone vs $28 in Palapye. Groceries flip the comparison at $172 vs $172, with Gaborone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇧🇼 Palapye

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

Same time as Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

26,000

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Gaborone Palapye 270 km

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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 Palapye: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palapye is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,267 in Gaborone and $854 in Palapye to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Palapye – a meal for two runs $28 versus $29 in Gaborone. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $129 in Gaborone versus $127 in Palapye. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Palapye gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Gaborone and Palapye are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.