Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $841 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
Learn more

Botswana Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Botswana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $841 in Botswana.

South Africa $1,203
Botswana $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,289 in Botswana.

South Africa $1,893
Botswana $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $1,737 in Botswana.

South Africa $2,583
Botswana $1,737

South Africa ($618–$1,556) and Botswana ($3–$1,034) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Africa is roughly 43% more expensive than in Botswana on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Botswana 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 178

$9.99 P 135

6.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 694

$28.81 P 388

44.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.6

$5.91 P 79.6

-1.86%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$2.36 P 31.77

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

$1.12 R 18.60

$0.74 P 9.96

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.02

$0.44 P 5.98

104.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.27

$1.91 P 25.73

26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 51.0

$2.41 P 32.52

26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.62

$1.49 P 20.03

-20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.86

$0.83 P 11.20

36.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.95

$1.79 P 24.06

-2.79%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.88

$2.44 P 32.81

5.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$6.53 P 87.9

29.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.3

$4.58 P 61.7

11.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 127

$5.00 P 67.4

51.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.57

$1.54 P 20.77

14.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.95

$1.37 P 18.44

27.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.48

$2.00 P 26.95

-11.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$1.59 P 21.38

10.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.85

$1.38 P 18.56

7.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.42

$1.30 P 17.56

13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.56

$1.30 P 17.56

-5.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.29

$0.89 P 12.01

23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.1

$3.72 P 50.1

-12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.3

$4.24 P 57.1

17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.95

$1.46 P 19.67

2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.32

$1.80 P 24.20

7.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.63

$0.67 P 9.04

120.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 988

$30.26 P 408

95.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.25

$0.61 P 8.20

78.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.49

$2.51 P 33.86

-60.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$2.89 P 38.88

158.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.80

$1.32 P 17.78

8.33%

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

$35.3K R 588.4K

$30.9K P 416.3K

14.25%

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

$32.4K R 540.6K

$20.4K P 274.2K

59.34%

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

$133 R 2,212

$59.8 P 805

122.12%

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

$34.83 R 581

$18.87 P 254

84.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 663

$43.45 P 585

-8.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 552

$32.65 P 440

1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$16.51 P 222

-29.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 120

$6.20 P 83.5

15.81%

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

$224 R 3,735

$141 P 1,904

58.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 91.0K

$2,233 P 30.1K

144.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 903

$49.33 P 665

9.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 569

$20.76 P 280

64.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,702

$76.8 P 1,035

32.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,475

$87.6 P 1,179

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,204

$288 P 3,885

70.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,629

$206 P 2,772

93.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.8K

$505 P 6,799

87.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$324 P 4,364

155.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,976 P 26.6K

-44.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$1,242 P 16.7K

-38.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$851 P 11.5K

76.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

11.33

-0.88%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Botswana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Botswana

$206 24.5% 48.3% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Botswana

$122 14.5% 41.1% $85

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Botswana

$171 20.4% 12.5% $25

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Botswana

$145 17.3% 7.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Botswana

$106 12.5% 15.9% $20

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Botswana

$46 5.5% 35.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Botswana

$45 5.4% 5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $259 in Botswana. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $353 in Gaborone.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $957 in Botswana. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 34% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 103% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 55% higher in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇧🇼 Botswana

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

2,480,244

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 BWP = 7.42 USD

100 BWP = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.67 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.47 BWP (100 BWP = 7.42 USD). 1 EUR = 14.99 BWP (100 BWP = 6.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Botswana 500 km

From you

South Africa
Botswana

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

South Africa vs Botswana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 43% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Botswana: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $422 in South Africa and $259 in Botswana. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Botswana wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.