Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Big Bend

For one person, living is cheaper in Big Bend: $705 a month against $753 in Mbabane, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Big Bend
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Big Bend Living Index

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$753

/mo nomad

Big Bend

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mbabane and in Big Bend

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mbabane and in Big Bend actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $753 per month in Mbabane vs $705 in Big Bend, rent included.

Mbabane $753
Big Bend $705

A couple spends around $1,211 per month in Mbabane vs $1,391 in Big Bend, rent included.

Mbabane $1,211
Big Bend $1,391

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Mbabane vs $2,077 in Big Bend, rent included.

Mbabane $1,668
Big Bend $2,077

Mbabane costs about 7% more than Big Bend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mbabane and Big Bend are more affordable than the global median – Mbabane 45% lower, Big Bend 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.34 SZL 172

$3.85 SZL 64.1

168.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.94 SZL 565

$26.59 SZL 443

27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 SZL 99.0

$5.06 SZL 84.3

17.59%

Cappuccino

$2.50 SZL 41.62

$1.48 SZL 24.67

68.92%

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

$1.09 SZL 18.08

$0.73 SZL 12.22

49.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 SZL 10.30

$0.40 SZL 6.73

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SZL 35.72

$1.49 SZL 24.76

44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SZL 40.14

$1.62 SZL 26.95

48.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 SZL 26.50

$1.17 SZL 19.42

35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 SZL 13.21

$0.87 SZL 14.50

-9.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 SZL 28.05

$1.53 SZL 25.47

9.80%

Eggs

$1.84 SZL 30.59

$4.52 SZL 75.2

-59.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 SZL 183

$18.04 SZL 300

-39.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 SZL 94.1

$11.81 SZL 197

-52.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 SZL 86.9

$4.91 SZL 81.7

6.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 SZL 30.08

$4.29 SZL 71.5

-57.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 SZL 10.38

$0.58 SZL 9.67

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 SZL 20.21

$1.78 SZL 29.70

-32.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 SZL 22.51

$1.18 SZL 19.71

14.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 SZL 21.66

$2.33 SZL 38.88

-44.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SZL 25.04

$2.06 SZL 34.33

-27.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 SZL 10.89

$0.92 SZL 15.39

-29.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 SZL 12.39

$0.93 SZL 15.54

-20.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 SZL 47.11

$5.72 SZL 95.2

-50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 SZL 102

$3.64 SZL 60.6

68.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SZL 25.69

$0.58 SZL 9.71

165.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SZL 27.93

$0.89 SZL 14.75

88.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 SZL 12.56

$1.23 SZL 20.49

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.12 SZL 402

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 SZL 30.72

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 SZL 23.09

$1.53 SZL 25.51

-9.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 SZL 49.92

$3.71 SZL 61.7

-19.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 SZL 21.86

$1.11 SZL 18.45

18.02%

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

$12.1K SZL 201.7K

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

$17.9K SZL 298.4K

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

$63.4 SZL 1,055

$127 SZL 2,120

-50.21%

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

$38.11 SZL 635

$24.38 SZL 406

56.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.81 SZL 446

$24.38 SZL 406

9.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.69 SZL 378

$17.91 SZL 298

26.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.04 SZL 50.6

$2.46 SZL 40.91

23.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.64 SZL 60.6

$3.06 SZL 50.9

18.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,345 SZL 105.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.87 SZL 581

$35.47 SZL 591

-1.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.98 SZL 249

$24.12 SZL 402

-37.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 SZL 1,187

$35.78 SZL 596

99.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 SZL 883

$54.4 SZL 906

-2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 SZL 4,531

$108 SZL 1,803

151.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 SZL 2,877

$71.6 SZL 1,192

141.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 SZL 7,553

$1,099 SZL 18.3K

-58.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 SZL 5,757

$715 SZL 11.9K

-51.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$484 SZL 8,062

$199 SZL 3,306

143.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$362 SZL 6,033

$139 SZL 2,318

160.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$769 SZL 12.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

-19.44%

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

Last update for Mbabane: October 27, 2026

Last update for Big Bend: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbabane

$181 24%

Big Bend

$248 35.2% 37.2% $67

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$173 22.9%

Big Bend

$72 10.2% 58.5% $101

Eating Out

Mbabane

$153 20.3%

Big Bend

$79 11.2% 48.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$128 17%

Big Bend

$176 25% 37.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$78 10.4%

Big Bend

$67 9.6% 14% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$30 4%

Big Bend

$24 3.4% 19.8% $5.9

Getting Around

Mbabane

$10 * 1.3%

Big Bend

$39 5.5% 287% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Mbabane versus $108 in Big Bend. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Mbabane versus $27 in Big Bend. Groceries tell a different story – $181 in Mbabane vs $248 in Big Bend – so Mbabane wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇸🇿 Big Bend

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

Same time as Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

6,433

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.01 USD

100 SZL = 5.4 EUR

100 SZL = 6.01 USD

100 SZL = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mbabane Big Bend 94 km

From you

Mbabane
Big Bend

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

Mbabane vs Big Bend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $753 in Mbabane, $705 in Big Bend – Big Bend comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,130 per month in Mbabane and $1,058 in Big Bend. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Big Bend, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $108 there versus $272 in Mbabane.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Mbabane and $27 in Big Bend. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $753 in Mbabane and $705 in Big Bend. That makes Big Bend about 6% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $753 in Mbabane and $705 in Big Bend, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.