Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Botswana Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 1.1% cheaper than Botswana without rent, and 35.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 6.9% more expensive than Botswana without rent, and 29.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 145

$7.32 P 103

20.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.50 R 631

$30.21 P 423

27.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 R 83.2

$5.99 P 83.9

-15.36%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R 33.40

$2.19 P 30.71

-6.85%

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

$1.04 R 17.02

$0.91 P 12.70

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R 12.08

$0.53 P 7.48

39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 R 37.83

$2.29 P 32.06

0.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R 40.57

$2.91 P 40.75

-15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R 17.55

$1.37 P 19.24

-21.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.51

$0.84 P 11.82

20.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.79

$1.75 P 24.50

-10.29%

Eggs

$2.33 R 38.26

$2.18 P 30.56

6.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 R 126

$7.40 P 104

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 R 73.4

$5.34 P 74.8

-16.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 108

$5.52 P 77.4

19.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.55

$1.76 P 24.64

-11.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.80

$1.34 P 18.72

8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.79

$1.77 P 24.81

-14.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.39

$1.52 P 21.30

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.39 P 19.46

-12.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.80

$1.30 P 18.16

2.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.70

$1.16 P 16.32

-6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.34

$0.87 P 12.22

8.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 46.74

$3.55 P 49.72

-19.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 R 80.3

$4.55 P 63.8

7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.64

$1.68 P 23.49

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R 27.65

$2.03 P 28.40

-16.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 R 28.33

$0.51 P 7.12

239.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.33 R 743

$28.24 P 396

60.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.01

$0.59 P 8.22

86.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R 18.03

$2.62 P 36.77

-58.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 R 76.9

$2.96 P 41.50

58.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.32

$1.15 P 16.15

13.04%

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

$20.6K R 337.3K

$21.9K P 307.5K

-6.30%

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

$24.2K R 396.4K

$16.9K P 236.7K

43.08%

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

$110 R 1,811

$65.8 P 922

67.76%

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

$32.07 R 526

$26.70 P 374

20.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.81 R 669

$78.2 P 1,096

-47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 514

$32.34 P 453

-3.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.44 R 155

$10.36 P 145

-8.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 R 113

$6.78 P 95.1

1.77%

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

$187 R 3,074

$166 P 2,332

12.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,385 R 71.9K

$3,607 P 50.5K

21.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 R 815

$45.22 P 634

9.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 R 512

$21.30 P 298

46.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 R 1,526

$76.2 P 1,067

22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R 1,307

$87.1 P 1,220

-8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 R 7,265

$237 P 3,319

86.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,048

$149 P 2,089

147.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R 14.6K

$508 P 7,110

75.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$347 P 4,865

108.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 R 18.5K

$2,044 P 28.6K

-44.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 R 13.5K

$1,283 P 18.0K

-35.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,486 R 24.4K

$822 P 11.5K

80.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

9.12

26.64%

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

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

Last update for Botswana: January 13, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Botswana Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Botswana

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