Gaborone at a glance
- Essentials in Gaborone run $668 a month.
- The average net salary of $458 covers that 0.7×.
- 91.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at locality level.
- PM2.5 averages 8 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $668 |
|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $217 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $314 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $104 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $213 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $103 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $31 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $458 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $323 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $479 |
Single person, USD. Data updated September 8, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Gaborone, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.20 |
|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $29.85 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $5.97 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.39 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.05 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.61 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.75 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.43 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.49 |
|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.86 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.89 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.48 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $6.04 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.66 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.62 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.44 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.67 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.39 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.20 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.89 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.63 |
|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $30.60 |
| Taxi start | $0.63 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $2.61 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.41 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $61.57 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $41.42 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $19.90 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $35.45 |
|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $6.34 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Gaborone has 91.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (locality level). That is the 4th-highest of 9 Botswana cities we track. Botswana's national figure is 100.5, so Gaborone runs 9 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Gaborone ranks against every city we track
Gaborone sits ahead of 88% of the 1074 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On city-centre rent it is ahead of 79% of 1009. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 24% of 1022.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Gaborone sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Gaborone on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Gaborone beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Gaborone in the research deskOr unlock the Botswana deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Jota @ BRAZIL, Public domain.
Data updated