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

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 0.2% cheaper than Botswana without rent, and 33.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 5.6% more expensive than Botswana without rent, and 27.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$7.56 P 101
19.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$29.75 P 397
30.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$6.33 P 84.4
-22.59%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$2.17 P 28.95
-8.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$0.89 P 11.9
7.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.54 P 7.22
38.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$2.2 P 29.29
-0.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$2.94 P 39.15
-13.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$1.38 P 18.36
-20.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$0.81 P 10.73
27.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.75 P 23.32
-10.86%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$2.21 P 29.39
1.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$7.71 P 103
-0.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$5.24 P 69.9
-11.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$5.53 P 73.8
24.05%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$1.73 P 23.05
-8.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.34 P 17.92
5.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$1.71 P 22.84
-15.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$1.54 P 20.47
-3.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$1.39 P 18.53
-10.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.3 P 17.37
3.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$1.13 P 15.03
-3.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$0.87 P 11.62
10.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$3.68 P 49.02
-21.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$4.71 P 62.8
7.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.67 P 22.23
-17.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$2.1 P 27.99
-20.00%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$0.51 P 6.74
235.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$28.16 P 375
59.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$0.59 P 7.81
86.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$2.59 P 34.56
-57.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$2.9 P 38.67
65.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.09 P 14.58
20.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$22.7K P 303.1K
-7.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$16.5K P 219.5K
43.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$64.2 P 855
76.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$25.86 P 345
28.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$75.7 P 1,009
-45.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$33.08 P 441
-4.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$10.55 P 141
-10.43%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$6.9 P 92
-2.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$168 P 2,241
10.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$3,506 P 46.7K
23.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$44.51 P 593
9.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$21.93 P 292
40.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$76 P 1,013
21.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$87.4 P 1,164
-8.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$244 P 3,246
81.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$149 P 1,988
147.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$506 P 6,749
73.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$344 P 4,580
110.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$1,683 P 22.4K
-39.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$1,213 P 16.2K
-33.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Botswana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$844 P 11.3K
66.59%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Botswana: October 29, 2025

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