Botswana vs Malawi - Cost of Living Comparison

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Livingcost

Botswana Malawi
🚶 Cost of living one person
$669
$544
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1618
$1338
🏠 One person rent
$254
$213
🏘️ Family rent
$405
$340
🍽️ Food expenses
$292
$221
🚐 Transport expenses
$53.5
$60.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$453
$105
💸 GDP per capita
$7696
$523
😃 Human freedom index
7.47
6.63
❤️ Life expectancy
69.2
67.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
58
34
🌐 English speaking %
38.4%
3.9%
🎓 Higher education
55
31
😀 Quality of life
51
24
🏙️ Population
2.52M
21.7M

The average cost of living in Botswana ($669) is 23% more expensive than in Malawi ($544). Botswana ranked 157th vs 177th for Malawi in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.7 months in Botswana compared to 0.2 months in Malawi. Ranked 91st and 166th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in Botswana vs Malawi

We calculate prices for Botswana and Malawi as a population-weighted mean of 8 and 9 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Botswana Malawi
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$10
$4.11
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$28.6
$19.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.77
$6.86
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.94
$1.3
 Cappuccino
$2.38
$2.17
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.75
$1.21
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$231
$300
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$151
$109
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$475
$559
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$333
$509
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$46.3
$27.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$71
$42.3
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$43.6
$40.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.01%
12.84%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1332
$7714
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1283
$395
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.59
$0.75
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$29.7
$13
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$20.2
$10.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.13
$1.26
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.36
$0.89
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.85
$0.93
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.64
$1.25
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.25
$1.94
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.9
$9.34
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.59
$3.68
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.1
$4.99
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.49
$2.07
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.68
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.93
$1.88
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$1.11
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.43
$1.05
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.26
$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.57
$0.47
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.51
$0.94
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$4.16
$10.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.46
$0.9
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.05
$1.78
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.55
$1.85
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.66
$2.99
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.4
$0.75
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.48
$0.68
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$30.1
$34.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.48
$3.27
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$18.1
$17
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.42
$3.34
👖 Brand Jeans
$48.7
$27
👟 Brand Sneakers
$75.6
$49.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$125
$367
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$2367
$1644

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Botswana vs Malawi

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Botswana

City Cost of living Population
Gaborone
$723
236K
Francistown
$632
103K
Molepolole
$663
67.6K
Kanye
$691
48K
Serowe
$590
47.4K
Mahalapye
$615
41.3K
Palapye
$549
36.2K
Lobatse
$691
26.9K

In Malawi

City Cost of living Population
Lilongwe
$587
989K
Mzimba
$559
936K
Blantyre
$495
800K
Mzuzu
$522
150K
Zomba
$452
101K
Mangochi
$494
53.5K
Mulanje
$456
14.8K
Monkey Bay
$516
14.6K
Ntcheu
$489
14.6K