Gaborone vs Mbabane - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated: March 02, 2025

	Gaborone	Mbabane
🚶 Cost of living one person	$691	$562
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family	$1793	$1439
🏠 One person rent	$268	$245
🏘️ Family rent	$520	$484
🍽️ Food expenses	$287	$202
🚐 Transport expenses	$66	$55.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax	$373	$701
😷 Air quality	Moderate	Moderate
✈️ Airport proximity	11 km	27 km
🎓 Higher education	39	16
😀 Quality of life	56	38
🏙️ Population	236K	60.7K

The cost of living in Gaborone is 23% more expensive than in Mbabane. Cities ranked 6941st and 8102nd ($691 vs $562) 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 0.5 months in Gaborone compared to 1.2 months in Mbabane. Gaborone ranked 1st best city to live in Botswana vs Mbabane ranked 1st in Eswatini, while ranked 5825th and 7231st 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	$7.24	$2.96
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2	$29.1	$27.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's	$5.77	$2.22
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$2.19	$1.78
☕ Cappuccino	$2.19	$1.65
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz	$0.79	$0.9
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$223	$221
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$133	$159
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$537	$487
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$341	$360
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$41.7	$45.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$64.4	$70.6
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited	$75.6	$27.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years	9.07%	11.73%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$1028	$330
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$949	$245
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket	$0.51	$1.09
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport	$25.3	$28.3
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi	$21.9	$25.2
⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal	$1.08	$1.14
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt	$1.33	$1.03
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb	$0.79	$0.74
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.71	$1.22
🥚 Eggs, x12	$2.23	$1.63
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$7.31	$8.71
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.83	$4.82
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$5.4	$5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.68	$1.47
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.31	$0.71
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.83	$0.9
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.44	$1.33
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.4	$1
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.2	$1.22
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt	$0.56	$0.49
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz	$1.34	$1.12
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle	$5.11	$5.45
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$1.64	$1.42
🚬 Cigarette pack	$3.65	$2.51
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week	$11.7	$4.16
🧴 Hair Shampoo	$5.46	$3.07
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls	$0.52	$1.52
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube	$2.95	$1.27
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month	$34	$27.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person	$6.49	$3.51
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit	$19	$17.9
💇 Haircut, simple	$4.58	$4.52
👖 Brand Jeans	$41.1	$43.6
👟 Brand Sneakers	$76.6	$70.6
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month	$171	$104
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year	$4190	$4495

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	$628
67 km or 42 mi	Lobatse	$665
67 km or 42 mi	Kanye	$664
136 km or 84 mi	Mmabatho	$780
174 km or 108 mi	Rustenburg	$889
196 km or 122 mi	Mahalapye	$631
215 km or 134 mi	Brits	$820
257 km or 160 mi	Klerksdorp	$722
258 km or 160 mi	Potchefstroom	$695
259 km or 161 mi	Pretoria	$906
264 km or 164 mi	Randburg	$837
265 km or 165 mi	Palapye	$540
266 km or 165 mi	Centurion	$807
266 km or 165 mi	Soweto	$923
266 km or 165 mi	Serowe	$583
269 km or 167 mi	Sandton	$953
275 km or 171 mi	Johannesburg	$993
296 km or 184 mi	Benoni	$785
298 km or 185 mi	Vanderbijlpark	$773
302 km or 188 mi	Vereeniging	$672
310 km or 193 mi	Springs	$678
358 km or 222 mi	Kroonstad	$768
379 km or 235 mi	Welkom	$748
380 km or 236 mi	Middelburg	$795
407 km or 253 mi	Bethal	$784
421 km or 261 mi	Francistown	$624
468 km or 291 mi	Kimberley	$814
495 km or 308 mi	Bloemfontein	$657
514 km or 319 mi	Butha-Buthe	$535
531 km or 330 mi	Teyateyaneng	$500
540 km or 336 mi	Maseru	$621
559 km or 347 mi	Mbabane	$562
569 km or 354 mi	Bulawayo	$766
584 km or 363 mi	Manzini	$442
589 km or 366 mi	Mafeteng	$567
597 km or 371 mi	Vryheid	$763
628 km or 390 mi	Upington	$699
675 km or 419 mi	Matola	$964
685 km or 425 mi	Maputo	$1068
705 km or 438 mi	Gweru	$597

Cities near Mbabane

Distance	City	Cost of living
27 km or 17 mi	Manzini	$442
136 km or 85 mi	Matola	$964
148 km or 92 mi	Maputo	$1068
165 km or 103 mi	Vryheid	$763
171 km or 106 mi	Bethal	$784
179 km or 111 mi	Middelburg	$795
271 km or 168 mi	Springs	$678
284 km or 176 mi	Benoni	$785
287 km or 178 mi	Xai-Xai	$1003
301 km or 187 mi	Centurion	$807
304 km or 189 mi	Pretoria	$906
311 km or 193 mi	Sandton	$953
311 km or 193 mi	Johannesburg	$993
316 km or 196 mi	Randburg	$837
324 km or 201 mi	Vereeniging	$672
329 km or 204 mi	Soweto	$923
334 km or 207 mi	Vanderbijlpark	$773
348 km or 216 mi	Brits	$820
370 km or 230 mi	Pietermaritzburg	$640
394 km or 245 mi	Durban	$809
398 km or 247 mi	Butha-Buthe	$535
399 km or 248 mi	Rustenburg	$889
406 km or 252 mi	Potchefstroom	$695
416 km or 259 mi	Kroonstad	$768
451 km or 280 mi	Klerksdorp	$722
461 km or 287 mi	Teyateyaneng	$500
477 km or 296 mi	Welkom	$748
491 km or 305 mi	Maseru	$621
546 km or 339 mi	Mafeteng	$567
555 km or 345 mi	Mmabatho	$780
559 km or 347 mi	Gaborone	$691
564 km or 350 mi	Lobatse	$665
566 km or 352 mi	Mahalapye	$631
576 km or 358 mi	Bloemfontein	$657
585 km or 363 mi	Palapye	$540
601 km or 374 mi	Kanye	$664
608 km or 378 mi	Molepolole	$628
628 km or 390 mi	Serowe	$583
628 km or 390 mi	Mthatha	$852
682 km or 424 mi	Francistown	$624