Cost of living comparison

 Gaborone, Botswana
compared to
 Lusaka, Zambia
Lusaka vs. Gaborone Cost of Living Summary

Lusaka is 1.7% cheaper than Gaborone.

Restaurants
pay 21.6% less in Lusaka
Groceries
pay 11.3% more in Lusaka
Transportation
pay 14.8% less in Lusaka
Housing
pay 17.4% more in Lusaka
Childcare
pay 36.8% more in Lusaka
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.6% less in Lusaka
Clothing
pay 16.6% less in Lusaka

The cost of childcare, housing, and groceries in Lusaka are more expensive than in Gaborone. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, clothing, and transportation are lower in Lusaka.

Lusaka vs. Gaborone Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Lusaka instead of Gaborone, you would:

pay 21.6% less for restaurants

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.50
BWP102.39
$7.21
ZMW207.16
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.00
BWP81.91
$3.82
ZMW109.78
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.83
BWP11.37
$0.71
ZMW20.50

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pay 11.3% more for groceries

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Bread
1 loaf
$0.81
BWP11.10
$0.74
ZMW21.25
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.37
BWP46.01
$3.64
ZMW104.44
Milk (1 gallon) $5.06
BWP69.13
$4.85
ZMW139.39

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pay 14.8% less for transportation

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.27
BWP58.37
$4.77
ZMW136.90
Monthly public transit pass $28.18
BWP385.00
$37.04
ZMW1,063.96
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $22,486.26
BWP307,179.73
$8,004.53
ZMW229,954.14

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pay 17.4% more for housing

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$90.60
BWP1,237.68
$125.92
ZMW3,617.41
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $254.84
BWP3,481.37
$214.42
ZMW6,159.94
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $149.91
BWP2,047.86
$114.96
ZMW3,302.53

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pay 36.8% more for childcare

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $180.24
BWP2,462.24
$176.79
ZMW5,078.81
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,740.68
BWP51,100.63
$6,570.42
ZMW188,755.18

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pay 24.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.25
BWP30.72
$0.97
ZMW27.78
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.37
BWP32.37
$2.07
ZMW59.57
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.75
BWP51.20
$2.49
ZMW71.51

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pay 16.6% less for clothing

 
Gaborone
Lusaka
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$44.14
BWP602.98
$18.43
ZMW529.60
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$22.17
BWP302.79
$18.78
ZMW539.63
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.20
BWP1,041.00
$90.18
ZMW2,590.59

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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See the cost of living in Botswana vs. Zambia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Botswana and Zambia.

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