Cost of living comparison

compared to

Asmara vs. Gaborone Cost of Living Summary

Asmara is 47.4% more expensive than Gaborone.

Restaurants
pay 44.2% more in Asmara
Groceries
pay 99.8% more in Asmara
Transportation
pay 82.5% more in Asmara
Housing
pay 2.1 times more in Asmara
Childcare
pay 68.2% less in Asmara
Entertainment and Sports
pay 57.2% less in Asmara
Clothing
pay 2.2 times more in Asmara

The cost of clothing, housing, groceries, transportation, and restaurants in Asmara are more expensive than in Gaborone. Expenses including childcare and entertainment and sports are lower in Asmara. Notably, clothing, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Asmara.

Asmara vs. Gaborone Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Asmara instead of Gaborone, you would:

pay 44.2% more for restaurants

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.33
BWP137.19
$12.00
ERN180.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.01
BWP79.82
$5.99
ERN89.85
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.82
BWP10.88
$1.25
ERN18.75

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pay 99.8% more for groceries

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Bread
1 loaf
$0.86
BWP11.40
??
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.42
BWP45.46
$1.50
ERN22.50
Milk (1 gallon) $5.53
BWP73.48
$5.30
ERN79.49

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pay 82.5% more for transportation

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.28
BWP56.92
$8.52
ERN127.76
Monthly public transit pass $30.79
BWP409.08
$8.00
ERN120.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,652.69
BWP274,382.03
$66,666.00
ERN999,990.00

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pay 2.1 times more for housing

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$52.19
BWP693.44
$200.00
ERN3,000.00
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $262.85
BWP3,492.13
$475.00
ERN7,125.00
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $160.93
BWP2,138.04
$400.00
ERN6,000.00

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pay 68.2% less for childcare

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $147.01
BWP1,953.10
$25.00
ERN375.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,593.57
BWP47,742.47
$1,675.00
ERN25,125.00

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pay 57.2% less for entertainment and sports

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.25
BWP29.93
$0.80
ERN12.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.30
BWP30.49
$0.82
ERN12.38
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.68
BWP48.89
??

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pay 2.2 times more for clothing

 
Gaborone
Asmara
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$46.00
BWP611.12
$82.50
ERN1,237.50
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$24.41
BWP324.27
$75.00
ERN1,125.00
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$71.82
BWP954.10
$200.00
ERN3,000.00

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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