Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Botswana Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Botswana

Name: Botswana
Address: BW

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,363 in United Kingdom versus $295 in Botswana.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in United Kingdom versus $466 in Botswana.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,585 in United Kingdom versus $636 in Botswana.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 701% more expensive than Botswana on average.

United Kingdom (76% above) and Botswana (78% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.41 £15.20

$7.58 P 99.4

169.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.0 £64.8

$29.97 P 393

190.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 £7.55

$6.04 P 79.2

67.72%

Cappuccino

$4.70 £3.50

$2.17 P 28.50

116.59%

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

$2.36 £1.76

$0.90 P 11.82

162.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.31

$0.51 P 6.66

245.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 £4.96

$2.17 P 28.51

206.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.79

$3.00 P 39.30

114.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.41 P 18.53

20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.22

$0.79 P 10.41

106.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.75 P 22.92

30.86%

Eggs

$4.03 £3.00

$2.17 P 28.40

85.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 £7.27

$7.40 P 97.1

32.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 £6.64

$5.33 P 69.9

67.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 £10.66

$5.39 P 70.7

165.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.27

$1.66 P 21.79

83.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.34 P 17.64

20.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.11

$1.79 P 23.50

58.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.63

$1.52 P 19.97

132.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.34 P 17.56

20.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.30 P 17.11

20.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.87

$1.12 P 14.65

4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$0.85 P 11.10

83.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.03 £14.92

$3.60 P 47.18

456.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 £8.12

$4.36 P 57.2

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 £2.16

$1.62 P 21.23

79.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.52

$1.98 P 25.99

70.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 £2.36

$0.50 P 6.60

534.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 £70.9

$28.32 P 372

236.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.06

$0.57 P 7.48

856.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 £1.19

$2.63 P 34.46

-39.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.31 £20.34

$2.90 P 38.11

841.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.11 P 14.54

79.28%

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

$37.8K £28.1K

$22.5K P 294.6K

68.15%

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

$40.2K £29.9K

$16.6K P 217.6K

142.19%

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

$323 £240

$64.2 P 842

402.82%

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

$17.22 £12.83

$26.02 P 341

-33.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.23 £31.46

$76.3 P 1,001

-44.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 £34.28

$32.94 P 432

39.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 £11.67

$10.56 P 139

48.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 £10.04

$6.89 P 90.4

95.65%

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

$1,713 £1,276

$165 P 2,164

938.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K £15.5K

$3,551 P 46.6K

486.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 £68.0

$43.69 P 573

108.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.88 £33.42

$21.78 P 286

106.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.0

$74.9 P 983

36.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.4

$87.0 P 1,141

19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 £1,055

$244 P 3,199

480.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 £843

$147 P 1,932

668.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 £1,719

$523 P 6,858

341.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,839 £1,370

$346 P 4,541

431.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,727 £4,265

$2,067 P 27.1K

177.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,523 £3,369

$1,270 P 16.7K

256.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 £2,482

$870 P 11.4K

282.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

9.12

-36.95%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: May 30, 2026

Last update for Botswana: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,265 in United Kingdom, $39.00 in Botswana. Capital cities: $3,019 in London vs $244 in Gaborone.

National salary averages: $3,219 in United Kingdom, $968 in Botswana. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 3144% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 600% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 3000% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 233% higher in United Kingdom, giving Botswana stronger purchasing power.

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 $418 per month in Botswana and $2,785 in United Kingdom, there's a 566% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Botswana is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom beats Botswana across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Botswana, $1,200 covers most cities easily. In United Kingdom, it works in regional areas but 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; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.