Cost of living comparison
compared to
Botswana vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Botswana is 4.2% cheaper than South Africa overall.
Botswana vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Botswana instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 8.2% less for restaurants
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $9.33 ZAR158.57 | $10.33 BWP140.46 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.11 ZAR86.86 | $6.01 BWP81.72 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.03 ZAR17.52 | $0.82 BWP11.13 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.80 ZAR13.64 | $0.48 BWP6.54 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.1% more for groceries
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.00 ZAR17.04 | $0.86 BWP11.67 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.88 ZAR65.99 | $3.42 BWP46.54 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.37 ZAR74.25 | $5.53 BWP75.23 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.33 ZAR39.64 | $2.32 BWP31.61 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.13 ZAR36.25 | $2.34 BWP31.85 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.73 ZAR12.37 | $0.80 BWP10.85 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 ZAR11.08 | $0.65 BWP8.84 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.68 ZAR11.61 | $0.80 BWP10.89 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.71 ZAR12.05 | $0.73 BWP9.96 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.59 ZAR9.95 | $0.64 BWP8.74 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.60 ZAR10.19 | $0.58 BWP7.87 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of groceries
pay 14.4% more for transportation
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.92 ZAR83.64 | $4.28 BWP58.27 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $56.18 ZAR954.32 | $30.79 BWP418.83 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $21,394.82 ZAR363K | $20,652.69 BWP281K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $9.34 ZAR158.63 | $20.46 BWP278.37 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of transportation
pay 24.4% less for housing
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $39.36 ZAR668.59 | $52.19 BWP709.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $404.16 ZAR6,865.77 | $262.85 BWP3,575.36 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $361.59 ZAR6,142.63 | $160.93 BWP2,189.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $88.13 ZAR1,497.10 | $52.95 BWP720.24 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of housing
pay 12.3% less for childcare
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $173.48 ZAR2,946.96 | $147.01 BWP1,999.65 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $3,962.11 ZAR67,307.48 | $3,593.57 BWP48,880.34 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of childcare
pay 9.0% more for entertainment and sports
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.18 ZAR37.00 | $2.25 BWP30.65 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.05 ZAR34.81 | $2.30 BWP31.22 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $2.96 ZAR50.35 | $3.68 BWP50.06 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $30.26 ZAR514.07 | $32.35 BWP439.99 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $6.85 ZAR116.34 | $6.76 BWP91.94 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.1% less for clothing
South Africa | Botswana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $50.74 ZAR862.01 | $46.00 BWP625.69 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.75 ZAR556.39 | $24.41 BWP332.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $94.19 ZAR1,600.10 | $71.82 BWP976.84 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $81.80 ZAR1,389.52 | $90.12 BWP1,225.84 | |
South Africa vs. Botswana - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: South Africa vs. Botswana
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Botswana?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 9 statistics
Make 22.4% more money in Botswana
→
Size Comparison · See true size
South Africa is about 2.1 times bigger than Botswana.
→
Moving from South Africa to Botswana · UN DESA 2020
5,733 people born in South Africa live in Botswana.
→
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Botswana or South Africa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.