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 0.9% cheaper than Botswana without rent, and 33% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 6.1% more expensive than Botswana without rent, and 24.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 R 140

$7.44 P 101

16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.91 R 626

$29.44 P 399

32.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 R 83.3

$6.07 P 82.3

-14.83%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.04

$2.24 P 30.40

-8.48%

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

$1.02 R 16.48

$0.90 P 12.23

13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.22

$0.50 P 6.82

52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 36.34

$2.18 P 29.54

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 R 40.80

$2.97 P 40.25

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 17.78

$1.42 P 19.30

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 R 15.15

$0.85 P 11.51

10.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.14

$1.74 P 23.58

-6.90%

Eggs

$2.22 R 35.77

$2.28 P 30.96

-2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 R 121

$7.42 P 101

1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 R 72.1

$5.31 P 72.0

-15.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 R 106

$5.50 P 74.6

20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.17

$1.67 P 22.60

-10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 R 22.87

$1.40 P 19.02

1.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.52

$1.80 P 24.36

-18.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.33

$1.54 P 20.83

-1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R 20.22

$1.39 P 18.80

-9.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R 20.85

$1.24 P 16.87

4.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 R 16.56

$1.16 P 15.78

-11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.56

$0.93 P 12.57

4.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 R 46.21

$3.69 P 50.0

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 R 78.9

$4.54 P 61.5

7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.15

$1.62 P 21.90

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 27.93

$2.07 P 28.07

-16.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 R 26.54

$0.51 P 6.88

223.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.20 R 712

$28.26 P 383

56.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 R 18.35

$0.58 P 7.87

96.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 R 17.56

$2.68 P 36.37

-59.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 R 75.8

$3.06 P 41.44

53.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 20.86

$1.10 P 14.91

18.18%

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

$20.8K R 334.8K

$22.6K P 305.8K

-7.80%

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

$23.5K R 378.5K

$16.8K P 228.1K

39.78%

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

$111 R 1,793

$64.6 P 875

72.46%

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

$32.36 R 521

$26.30 P 357

23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.49 R 652

$77.7 P 1,053

-47.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 R 515

$32.50 P 441

-1.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.72 R 156

$10.53 P 143

-7.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 R 109

$6.53 P 88.5

4.13%

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

$189 R 3,035

$169 P 2,293

11.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,400 R 70.8K

$3,506 P 47.5K

25.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 R 807

$44.06 P 598

13.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 R 492

$21.11 P 286

44.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 R 1,522

$74.6 P 1,011

26.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 R 1,309

$85.4 P 1,158

-4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 R 7,289

$244 P 3,303

85.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 R 5,991

$150 P 2,030

148.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 R 14.6K

$524 P 7,100

72.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 R 11.3K

$345 P 4,680

103.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,150 R 18.5K

$2,094 P 28.4K

-45.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.5K

$1,316 P 17.9K

-36.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 R 23.7K

$829 P 11.2K

77.56%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Botswana: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

South Africa

Botswana

South Africa

Botswana

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