Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maun and Palapye

For one person, living is cheaper in Maun: $2.88 a month against $569 in Palapye, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Palapye
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Palapye Living Index

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Maun

🇧🇼 Botswana

$2.88

/mo nomad

Palapye

🇧🇼 Botswana

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maun 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 Maun and in Palapye actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2.88 in Maun versus $569 in Palapye.

Maun $2.88
Palapye $569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4.89 in Maun versus $915 in Palapye.

Maun $4.89
Palapye $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6.89 in Maun versus $1,261 in Palapye.

Maun $6.89
Palapye $1,261

Living in Maun costs roughly 99% less than in Palapye, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maun 100% lower, Palapye 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 P 149

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 P 384

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 P 77.8

Cappuccino

$2.26 P 30.52

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

$0.74 P 10.00

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 P 5.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 P 27.12

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 P 35.23

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 P 20.76

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 P 11.12

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 P 24.08

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.93

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 P 84.6

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 P 59.3

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 P 67.5

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 P 21.36

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 P 19.68

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 P 27.88

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 P 21.78

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.55

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 P 15.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.22

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 P 13.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 P 48.13

Wine (Bottle)

$4.36 P 58.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 P 18.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 P 24.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 P 7.66

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.17

$0.64 P 8.64

-4.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 P 38.17

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 P 14.65

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

$30.6K P 412.5K

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

$20.3K P 274.1K

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

$59.7 P 806

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

$18.73 P 253

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.46 P 600

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 P 85.6

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

$290 P 3,913

$127 P 1,712

128.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,472 P 33.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.80 P 631

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.81 P 227

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 P 979

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 P 1,054

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 Maun: October 27, 2026

Last update for Palapye: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maun

–

Palapye

$172 30.1%

Eating Out

Maun

–

Palapye

$153 26.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maun

–

Palapye

$123 21.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Maun

–

Palapye

$96 16.9%

Getting Around

Maun

–

Palapye

$13 * 2.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Maun

–

Palapye

$13 * 2.2%

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

Good to know

🇧🇼 Maun

🇧🇼 Palapye

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

Same time as Maun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,784

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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Between locations

Maun Palapye 480 km

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Maun
Palapye

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

Maun vs Palapye: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maun is about 99% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4.32 in Maun 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.

Childcare runs $290 in Maun versus $127 in Palapye. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2.88 per month in Maun versus $569 in Palapye – Maun is about 99% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Maun gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.