Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Serowe

For one person, living is cheaper in Serowe: $79.9 a month against $838 in Gaborone, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
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Gaborone Living Index

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Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$838

/mo nomad

Serowe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$79.9

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gaborone and in Serowe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $838 in Gaborone versus $80 in Serowe.

Gaborone $838
Serowe $80

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,292 in Gaborone versus $140 in Serowe.

Gaborone $1,292
Serowe $140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,747 in Gaborone versus $200 in Serowe.

Gaborone $1,747
Serowe $200

Living in Gaborone is roughly 949% more expensive than in Serowe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gaborone 38% lower, Serowe 94% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 P 148

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.59 P 385

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 P 77.4

Cappuccino

$2.26 P 30.45

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

$0.73 P 9.87

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 P 5.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 P 27.45

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 P 34.81

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 P 19.87

$1.36 P 18.28

8.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 P 11.35

$1.11 P 14.87

-24.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 P 24.17

Eggs

$2.45 P 32.90

$1.76 P 23.69

39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.48 P 87.2

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 P 59.3

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.01 P 67.4

$4.15 P 55.8

20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 P 22.27

$1.33 P 17.92

24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 P 19.61

$1.03 P 13.90

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 P 26.89

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 P 21.52

$1.58 P 21.24

1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 P 18.16

$1.47 P 19.74

-8.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 P 16.21

$1.34 P 17.96

-9.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 P 17.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 P 11.90

$0.66 P 8.91

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 P 50.1

Wine (Bottle)

$4.22 P 56.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 P 19.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 P 23.15

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 P 8.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.63 P 399

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 P 8.49

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.75

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 P 39.20

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 P 18.41

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

$30.5K P 409.9K

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

$20.0K P 269.6K

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

$59.4 P 799

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

$14.85 P 200

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.18 P 594

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.18 P 446

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.15 P 217

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 P 83.2

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

$126 P 1,691

$107 P 1,446

16.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,136 P 69.1K

$1,739 P 23.4K

195.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.50 P 639

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.63 P 224

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.2 P 985

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 P 1,048

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 P 4,740

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 P 2,801

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 P 7,269

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 P 4,669

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,042 P 27.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,251 P 16.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$453 P 6,099

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Serowe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$208 24.8%

Serowe

–

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$171 20.4%

Serowe

–

Eating Out

Gaborone

$152 18.2%

Serowe

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$118 14.1%

Serowe

–

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$97 11.6%

Serowe

–

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$46 5.4%

Serowe

–

Getting Around

Gaborone

$45 5.4%

Serowe

–

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇧🇼 Serowe

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

Same time as Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

47,447

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.64 EUR

100 BWP = 7.43 USD

100 BWP = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gaborone Serowe 260 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 Serowe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serowe is about 90% cheaper overall, especially in groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,257 in Gaborone and $120 in Serowe 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Gaborone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $126 in Gaborone versus $107 in Serowe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $80 in Serowe versus $838 in Gaborone, a $800 budget is realistic in Serowe but tight or insufficient in Gaborone. The gap between the two cities makes Serowe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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