Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

For one person, living is cheaper in Botswana: $841 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Botswana
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Botswana Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇧🇼 Botswana

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Botswana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $841 in Botswana.

United Kingdom $2,462
Botswana $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,289 in Botswana.

United Kingdom $3,600
Botswana $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $1,737 in Botswana.

United Kingdom $4,738
Botswana $1,737

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $3–$1,034 in Botswana. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 193% more expensive than in Botswana on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Botswana (38% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$9.99 P 135

115.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$28.81 P 388

197.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$5.91 P 79.6

79.53%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$2.36 P 31.77

108.05%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$0.74 P 9.96

259.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.44 P 5.98

325.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

$1.91 P 25.73

247.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$2.41 P 32.52

183.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.49 P 20.03

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$0.83 P 11.20

107.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.79 P 24.06

21.23%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$2.44 P 32.81

63.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$6.53 P 87.9

44.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$4.58 P 61.7

100.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$5.00 P 67.4

195.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$1.54 P 20.77

92.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.37 P 18.44

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$2.00 P 26.95

42.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$1.59 P 21.38

121.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$1.38 P 18.56

32.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.30 P 17.56

23.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.30 P 17.56

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.89 P 12.01

86.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.77

$3.72 P 50.1

535.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

$4.24 P 57.1

147.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$1.46 P 19.67

104.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$1.80 P 24.20

95.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$0.67 P 9.04

494.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$30.26 P 408

254.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$0.61 P 8.20

749.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.51 P 33.86

-6.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$2.89 P 38.88

828.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.32 P 17.78

50.76%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$30.9K P 416.3K

27.67%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$20.4K P 274.2K

98.88%

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

$327 £246

$59.8 P 805

447.49%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$18.87 P 254

-3.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$43.45 P 585

0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

$32.65 P 440

29.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

$16.51 P 222

10.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

$6.20 P 83.5

123.39%

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

$1,868 £1,404

$141 P 1,904

1221.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$2,233 P 30.1K

913.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$49.33 P 665

88.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

$20.76 P 280

121.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$76.8 P 1,035

32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$87.6 P 1,179

16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$288 P 3,885

365.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$206 P 2,772

421.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$505 P 6,799

342.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$324 P 4,364

437.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

$1,976 P 26.6K

183.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$1,242 P 16.7K

243.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$851 P 11.5K

293.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

11.33

-53.05%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: 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

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Botswana

$206 24.5% 80.8% $868

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Botswana

$122 14.5% 68.6% $267

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Botswana

$145 17.3% 55.7% $182

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Botswana

$171 20.4% 44.2% $136

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Botswana

$106 12.5% 31.6% $49

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Botswana

$46 5.5% 67.1% $94

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Botswana

$45 5.4% 35.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $259 in Botswana. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $353 in Gaborone.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $957 in Botswana. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 397% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 186% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 237% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇧🇼 Botswana

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

11:26 11:26 AM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

2,480,244

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 BWP = 7.42 USD

100 BWP = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Botswana 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Botswana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $841 per month in Botswana and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 193% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $259 in Botswana. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Botswana, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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