Cost of living comparison
Riyadh vs. Gaborone Cost of Living Summary
Riyadh is 81.9% more expensive than Gaborone.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.3% less in Riyadh
- Groceries
-
pay 34.4% more in Riyadh
- Transportation
-
pay 6.3% less in Riyadh
- Housing
-
pay 3.1 times more in Riyadh
- Childcare
-
pay 4.1 times more in Riyadh
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 91.9% more in Riyadh
- Clothing
-
pay 65.4% more in Riyadh
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries in Riyadh are more expensive than in Gaborone. Expenses including transportation and restaurants are lower in Riyadh. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Riyadh.
Riyadh vs. Gaborone Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Riyadh instead of Gaborone, you would:
pay 3.3% less for restaurants
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.85
BWP148.87
|
$7.99
SAR30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.79
BWP79.40
|
$7.99
SAR30.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.72
BWP9.92
|
$0.87
SAR3.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.42
BWP5.71
|
$0.31
SAR1.18
|
|
pay 34.4% more for groceries
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.88
BWP12.02
|
$1.29
SAR4.83
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.16
BWP43.42
|
$5.27
SAR19.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.47
BWP75.12
|
$6.76
SAR25.39
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.47
BWP33.83
|
$3.08
SAR11.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.11
BWP28.88
|
$4.34
SAR16.27
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.75
BWP10.31
|
$1.30
SAR4.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
BWP8.75
|
$0.87
SAR3.28
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
BWP12.38
|
$1.13
SAR4.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.74
BWP10.15
|
$0.80
SAR2.99
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
BWP7.97
|
$0.54
SAR2.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
BWP7.25
|
$0.59
SAR2.21
|
|
pay 6.3% less for transportation
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.15
BWP70.71
|
$2.35
SAR8.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.66
BWP406.91
|
$37.31
SAR140.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,891.73
BWP273K
|
$34,642.08
SAR130K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.87
BWP286.32
|
$18.12
SAR68.00
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for housing
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$42.10
BWP577.61
|
$71.73
SAR269.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$356.36
BWP4,889.51
|
$1,186.87
SAR4,454.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$221.34
BWP3,036.92
|
$833.69
SAR3,128.72
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$45.63
BWP626.12
|
$81.86
SAR307.20
|
|
pay 4.1 times more for childcare
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$127.13
BWP1,744.25
|
$530.73
SAR1,991.76
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,500.03
BWP34,301.86
|
$10,105.80
SAR37,925.40
|
|
pay 91.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.99
BWP27.29
|
$2.13
SAR8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.32
BWP31.83
|
$4.28
SAR16.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.62
BWP49.62
|
$7.73
SAR29.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.58
BWP460.78
|
$89.94
SAR337.52
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.15
BWP84.36
|
$13.32
SAR50.00
|
|
pay 65.4% more for clothing
|
Gaborone
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.53
BWP652.19
|
$58.30
SAR218.78
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$16.75
BWP229.75
|
$54.26
SAR203.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.33
BWP992.46
|
$102.59
SAR385.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$78.36
BWP1,075.16
|
$103.93
SAR390.02
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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