Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palapye and Francistown

For one person, living is cheaper in Palapye: $569 a month against $1,034 in Francistown, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Francistown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Palapye
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Palapye Living Index

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Palapye

🇧🇼 Botswana

$569

/mo nomad

Francistown

🇧🇼 Botswana

$1,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palapye and in Francistown

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

A single person spends $569 per month in Palapye vs $1,034 in Francistown, rent included.

Palapye $569
Francistown $1,034

A couple spends around $915 per month in Palapye vs $866 in Francistown, rent included.

Palapye $915
Francistown $866

A family of three spends $1,261 per month in Palapye vs $697 in Francistown, rent included.

Palapye $1,261
Francistown $697

Palapye is about 45% cheaper than Francistown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Palapye and Francistown are more affordable than the global median – Palapye 58% lower, Francistown 24% 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

$1.46 P 19.75

37.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 P 35.23

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 P 20.76

$1.30 P 17.48

18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 P 11.12

$0.68 P 9.15

20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 P 24.08

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.93

$1.85 P 24.98

31.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 P 84.6

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 P 59.3

$6.00 P 80.9

-26.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 P 67.5

$6.34 P 85.6

-21.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 P 21.36

$1.08 P 14.54

46.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 P 19.68

$1.41 P 19.08

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 P 27.88

$1.46 P 19.73

41.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 P 21.78

$1.41 P 19.01

14.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.55

$1.62 P 21.82

-19.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 P 15.50

$1.42 P 19.18

-19.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.22

$0.94 P 12.67

36.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 P 13.00

$0.81 P 10.98

18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 P 48.13

$5.43 P 73.3

-34.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.36 P 58.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 P 18.88

$1.41 P 18.98

-0.71%

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)

$0.64 P 8.64

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

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.30 P 395

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 P 85.6

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

$127 P 1,712

$110 P 1,486

15.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,472 P 33.3K

$1,773 P 23.9K

39.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.80 P 631

$57.5 P 776

-18.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.81 P 227

$32.82 P 443

-48.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 P 979

$107 P 1,450

-32.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 P 1,054

$109 P 1,469

-28.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 P 9,799

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 P 5,400

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 Palapye: October 25, 2026

Last update for Francistown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palapye

$172 30.1%

Francistown

–

Eating Out

Palapye

$153 26.8%

Francistown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palapye

$123 21.6%

Francistown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Palapye

$96 16.9%

Francistown

–

Getting Around

Palapye

$13 * 2.3%

Francistown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Palapye

$13 * 2.2%

Francistown

–

Accommodation & Living

Palapye

- * 0%

Francistown

–

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

Good to know

🇧🇼 Palapye

🇧🇼 Francistown

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

Same time as Palapye

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000

100,079

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Palapye Francistown 160 km

From you

Palapye
Francistown

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

Palapye vs Francistown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $569 in Palapye, $1,034 in Francistown – Palapye comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $854 per month in Palapye and $1,552 in Francistown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $127 per month in Palapye and $110 in Francistown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $569 in Palapye and $1,034 in Francistown. That makes Palapye about 45% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $569 in Palapye and $1,034 in Francistown, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Francistown has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $569 in Palapye to $1,034 in Francistown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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