Gaborone vs Mbabane - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated: October 14, 2025

	Gaborone	Mbabane
🚶 Cost of living one person	$668	$599
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family	$1648	$1449
🏠 One person rent	$243	$261
🏘️ Family rent	$391	$433
🍽️ Food expenses	$297	$216
🚐 Transport expenses	$62.1	$58.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax	$382	$352
😷 Air quality	Moderate	Moderate
✈️ Airport proximity	11 km	27 km
🎓 Higher education	39	16
😀 Quality of life	61	42
🏙️ Population	236K	60.7K

The cost of living in Gaborone is 12% more expensive than in Mbabane. Cities ranked 7301st and 7826th ($668 vs $599) in the list of the most expensive cities in the world and ranked 1st and 1st in Botswana and Eswatini, respectively. Check Botswana vs Eswatini comparison.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.6 months in Gaborone compared to 0.6 months in Mbabane. Gaborone ranked 1st best city to live in Botswana vs Mbabane ranked 1st in Eswatini, while ranked 5842nd and 7530th among best cities to live in the world.

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Cost of living in Gaborone vs Mbabane infographic

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Prices in Gaborone vs Mbabane

Prices for goods and services in Gaborone and Mbabane are partly crowdsourced by our visitors, just like yourself. Please consider telling us about your city.

	Gaborone	Mbabane
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu	$9.79	$3.13
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2	$28.4	$30.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's	$5.66	$2.39
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$2.12	$1.88
☕ Cappuccino	$2.17	$1.98
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz	$0.76	$0.96
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$222	$240
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$137	$169
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$402	$443
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$249	$302
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$39.5	$48.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$61.1	$73.9
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited	$49.7	$28.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years	9.04%	11.65%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$1000	$348
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$994	$258
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket	$0.5	$1.16
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport	$29	$30.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi	$19.2	$26.4
⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal	$1.08	$1.21
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt	$1.39	$1.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb	$0.82	$0.77
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.74	$1.3
🥚 Eggs, x12	$2.22	$1.73
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$6.45	$9.16
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.87	$5.13
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$5.22	$5.35
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.71	$1.55
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.39	$0.75
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.78	$0.96
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.55	$1.44
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.37	$1.06
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.22	$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt	$0.57	$0.51
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz	$1.34	$1.2
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle	$4.24	$5.73
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$1.48	$1.5
🚬 Cigarette pack	$3.55	$2.67
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week	$11.5	$4.25
🧴 Hair Shampoo	$5.31	$3.17
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls	$0.51	$1.55
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube	$2.89	$1.32
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month	$30.5	$29
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person	$6.36	$3.76
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit	$18.1	$18.9
💇 Haircut, simple	$4.46	$4.34
👖 Brand Jeans	$43.2	$46.1
👟 Brand Sneakers	$67.6	$75.3
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month	$138	$110
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year	$3401	$4704

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cost of Living in the nearest cities

Cities near Gaborone

Distance	City	Cost of living
50 km or 31 mi	Molepolole	$607
67 km or 42 mi	Lobatse	$637
67 km or 42 mi	Kanye	$637
136 km or 84 mi	Mmabatho	$833
174 km or 108 mi	Rustenburg	$940
196 km or 122 mi	Mahalapye	$577
215 km or 134 mi	Brits	$875
257 km or 160 mi	Klerksdorp	$762
258 km or 160 mi	Potchefstroom	$731
259 km or 161 mi	Pretoria	$975
264 km or 164 mi	Randburg	$890
265 km or 165 mi	Palapye	$514
266 km or 165 mi	Centurion	$892
266 km or 165 mi	Soweto	$984
266 km or 165 mi	Serowe	$536
269 km or 167 mi	Sandton	$984
275 km or 171 mi	Johannesburg	$1082
296 km or 184 mi	Benoni	$826
298 km or 185 mi	Vanderbijlpark	$799
302 km or 188 mi	Vereeniging	$706
310 km or 193 mi	Springs	$740
358 km or 222 mi	Kroonstad	$808
379 km or 235 mi	Welkom	$762
380 km or 236 mi	Middelburg	$830
407 km or 253 mi	Bethal	$838
421 km or 261 mi	Francistown	$587
468 km or 291 mi	Kimberley	$861
495 km or 308 mi	Bloemfontein	$698
514 km or 319 mi	Butha-Buthe	$570
531 km or 330 mi	Teyateyaneng	$533
540 km or 336 mi	Maseru	$650
559 km or 347 mi	Mbabane	$599
569 km or 354 mi	Bulawayo	$658
584 km or 363 mi	Manzini	$469
589 km or 366 mi	Mafeteng	$598
597 km or 371 mi	Vryheid	$827
628 km or 390 mi	Upington	$746
675 km or 419 mi	Matola	$908
685 km or 425 mi	Maputo	$915
705 km or 438 mi	Gweru	$587

Cities near Mbabane

Distance	City	Cost of living
27 km or 17 mi	Manzini	$469
136 km or 85 mi	Matola	$908
148 km or 92 mi	Maputo	$915
165 km or 103 mi	Vryheid	$827
171 km or 106 mi	Bethal	$838
179 km or 111 mi	Middelburg	$830
271 km or 168 mi	Springs	$740
284 km or 176 mi	Benoni	$826
287 km or 178 mi	Xai-Xai	$915
301 km or 187 mi	Centurion	$892
304 km or 189 mi	Pretoria	$975
311 km or 193 mi	Sandton	$984
311 km or 193 mi	Johannesburg	$1082
316 km or 196 mi	Randburg	$890
324 km or 201 mi	Vereeniging	$706
329 km or 204 mi	Soweto	$984
334 km or 207 mi	Vanderbijlpark	$799
348 km or 216 mi	Brits	$875
370 km or 230 mi	Pietermaritzburg	$705
394 km or 245 mi	Durban	$892
398 km or 247 mi	Butha-Buthe	$570
399 km or 248 mi	Rustenburg	$940
406 km or 252 mi	Potchefstroom	$731
416 km or 259 mi	Kroonstad	$808
451 km or 280 mi	Klerksdorp	$762
461 km or 287 mi	Teyateyaneng	$533
477 km or 296 mi	Welkom	$762
491 km or 305 mi	Maseru	$650
546 km or 339 mi	Mafeteng	$598
555 km or 345 mi	Mmabatho	$833
559 km or 347 mi	Gaborone	$668
564 km or 350 mi	Lobatse	$637
566 km or 352 mi	Mahalapye	$577
576 km or 358 mi	Bloemfontein	$698
585 km or 363 mi	Palapye	$514
601 km or 374 mi	Kanye	$637
608 km or 378 mi	Molepolole	$607
628 km or 390 mi	Serowe	$536
628 km or 390 mi	Mthatha	$901
682 km or 424 mi	Francistown	$587