Botswana vs Zambia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Botswana Zambia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$662
$852
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1711
$1931
🏠 One person rent
$267
$455
🏘️ Family rent
$523
$748
🍽️ Food expenses
$276
$241
🚐 Transport expenses
$51.3
$99.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$682
$242
💸 GDP per capita
$7250
$1369
😃 Human freedom index
7.31
6.21
❤️ Life expectancy
65.9
61.8
👮 Corruption perceptions index
59
37
🌐 English speaking %
38.4%
16%
🎓 Higher education
55
49
😀 Quality of life
47
25
🏙️ Population
2.29M
17.1M

The average cost of living in Botswana ($662) is 22% less expensive than in Zambia ($852). Botswana ranked 154th vs 114th for Zambia in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1 months in Botswana compared to 0.3 months in Zambia. Ranked 86th and 157th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Botswana vs Zambia infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Botswana vs Zambia

We calculate prices for Botswana and Zambia as a population-weighted mean of 8 and 10 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 Zambia
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.69
$6.19
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$27.8
$24.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.96
$3.56
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.01
$0.99
 Cappuccino
$2.33
$2.16
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.83
$0.81
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$205
$311
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$131
$351
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$517
$676
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$343
$585
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$45.6
$61.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$69.9
$94.3
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$75.9
$50.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
9.13%
21.21%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2012
$1970
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$939
$7150
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.55
$1.56
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$24.4
$39.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$19.9
$10.9
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.06
$1.21
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.26
$1.15
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.79
$0.8
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$2.41
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.17
$1.75
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.6
$6.37
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.57
$4.17
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.95
$5.27
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$2.3
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.3
$1.59
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.73
$2.32
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.4
$1.39
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.35
$2.03
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.23
$1.6
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.6
$0.4
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.55
$1.01
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.08
$6.34
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.59
$0.98
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.63
$2.36
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.2
$4.43
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.79
$2.56
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.45
$1.27
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.55
$1.16
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$28.5
$29.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.7
$3.5
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$18.8
$16.6
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.5
$4.77
👖 Brand Jeans
$41.3
$21.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$70.5
$79.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$169
$177
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$3674
$5862

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Botswana vs Zambia

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Botswana

City Cost of living Population
Francistown
$585
103K
Gaborone
$718
236K
Serowe
$600
47.4K
Palapye
$554
36.2K
Mahalapye
$663
41.3K
Molepolole
$654
67.6K
Kanye
$690
48K
Lobatse
$692
26.9K

In Zambia

City Cost of living Population
Lusaka
$685
2.47M
Kitwe
$1116
625K
Ndola
$1139
528K
Livingstone
$670
177K
Chingola
$1028
255K
Mufulira
$1090
182K
Kasama
$1079
158K
Choma
$725
51.8K
Kapiri Mposhi
$894
65.2K
Mansa
$1017
45.5K