2025 Average Income in Botswana

Have you ever wondered whether your wages are above, or below, the 2025 average income in Botswana? Are you getting paid enough for your hard work?

Here are a few facts and figures that may help give you the answers.

Average salaries in Botswana for 2025

Salaries have not improved much since 2024 despite a minimum wage increase.

Inflation has fallen, but many daily costs are still higher than in previous years. The average salary isn’t stretching as far as it did a year ago.

According to TimeCamp, the average monthly salary in Botswana is between P6,000 and P8,000 for formal sector employees, but this varies depending on the position and experience.

This is an improvement compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 when the maximum average salary was P6,533 per month, according to Take-Profit.org.

Factors affecting Botswana salaries

Of course, the amount you earn will depend on what you do, as well as where.

Salaries are higher in central Gaborone than smaller towns. But you’ll pay more to live in the city. The higher pay is balanced out by a higher cost of living.

Average salaries for different careers and job types

For different careers, average salaries range from P3,615 to P52,400 per month.

The top end of the range applies to a small percentage of jobs in senior management and executive positions.

As a more accurate reflection of current earning capabilities, as many as half of all employees in Botswana earn P10,000 or less.

According to Glassdoor, the average monthly salary for a personal assistant is now P14,000 while an associate can expect to earn P13,250.

For more details of 2025 average incomes in Botswana for different job positions and industry sectors, see the search feature and table maintained by paylab.

2025 inflation in Botswana

There was more market volatility in 2024 driven by world events, such as the US election in the fourth quarter and Donald Trump’s win.

Despite this, Botswana’s inflation rate improved over the last year. The inflation rate was 3.5% at the end of 2023 and saw an average of 2.83% across 2024. It dipped as low as 1.7% in December 2024, but rose to 2.3% in April this year.

Markets around the world are experiencing uncertainty, largely due to the risk of tariffs from the US.

Some costs are hit much harder than others. In particular, food, alcoholic beverages and clothing are behind the upward trend.

Botswana inflation statistics

According to Trading Economics, the latest inflation stats – indicating year-on-year price increases across different categories of goods – are as follows:

• food & non-alcoholic beverages: 5.9%
• alcoholic beverages: 7.4%
• clothing and footwear: 4.1%
• transport: -1.6%
• housing and utilities: 0.9%
• consumer prices: 0.8%.

Price increases tend to be the highest in rural areas, with the added cost of transporting goods out from urban centres.

Minimum wage increases in 2025

In 2025, the minimum wage in Botswana increased from P7.34 to P9.06 per hour for all sectors except domestic and agriculture.

For the domestic services sector and the agricultural sector, the minimum wage is set at P1,500 per month.

There are talks of introducing living wage legislation, which would mean all workers in Botswana would earn a minimum of P4,000 per month. Updated minimum wage details are available from Mywage.org.

Cost of living in Botswana, 2025

Salaries and wages in Botswana often fall well below the cost-of-living figures. The Living wage legislation is set to be introduced to the National Assembly for debate in the winter Parliament session.

If it passes, how would a minimum wage of P4,000 per month for all sectors compare to the current cost of living?

According to Numbeo (the world’s largest database of living costs), the average monthly cost of living for a single person in Botswana is P7,549, excluding rent.

For a family of four, the estimated cost of living , excluding rent, is P26,287.

In practice, monthly expenses vary, depending on lifestyle and where a person lives.

While the cost of living used to be lower in Botswana than South Africa, it is now 31% higher. The only exception is rent, which is cheaper in Botswana by 48.4% on average.

Some example 2025 prices in Botswana

This is roughly how much you can expect to pay for certain basic food items in Botswana in 2025, according to Numbeo:

• 1 litre milk: P18.34
• loaf of white bread: P10.82
• 1 kg white rice: P24.49
• dozen eggs: P29.72
• 1 kg cheese: P101.12
• 1 kg chicken fillets: P68.66
• 1 kg beef: P71.99
• 1 kg onions: P17.28
• 1 kg potatoes: P18.33
• one lettuce: P14.45.

A bottle of mid-range wine will cost P72.50, whereas 330 ml of imported beer has an average price of P27.66.

You’ll pay around P350 for a three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant for two people. At an international primary school, educating a child would cost P90,000 or more per year.

A full breakdown of costs is available here.

Budget pressures for Batswana consumers and businesses

Despite a lower inflation rate compared to 2024, households and businesses in Botswana still face significant financial challenges.

Business recovery has been slow, especially in the country’s two largest sectors, diamonds and tourism.

As a result of the pressures, Botswana’s household debt reached around P54.13 billion in December 2024.

An increasingly restrictive approach to approving loans by the country’s banks means many consumers and small businesses must look elsewhere for relief.

Need quick access to funds in Gaborone?

If you’re struggling to make ends meet on your 2025 average income in Botswana (or need funds to exploit an opportunity), consider an asset-based loan from Lamna.

We offer fast, discreet loans against the value of a wide range of assets, from luxury watches and jewellery to vehicles or valuable works of art.

For more information about using an asset to secure a short-term loan, contact our Gaborone office on 71 388 088 or simply complete and submit our online application form.