Compare the cost of your home country to the actual living costs in Lesotho, simply select your home currency and see the difference!
All data is kept up to date by local members and actual students. Our latest update was on: 30th of June 2020
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| Food | Price in L | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 12 eggs dozen, large |
12.50 Lot | |||
 1 beer pint in local shops, markets |
7 Lot | |||
 1 kg of tomatoes |
8.50 Lot | |||
 Full chicken 2kg |
38.75 Lot | |||
 1litre 100% fruit juice |
8.50 Lot | |||
 1 package of cigarettes imported brands |
25 Lot | |||
 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples |
7.50 Lot | |||
 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality |
48.95 Lot | |||
| 2.5 liters of Coca-Cola |
0.95 Lot | |||
 1 Bread loaf standard |
9.50 Lot | |||
 Whole fat Yogurt. 500ml |
12 Lot | |||
 1x6 pack Dardanelle tuna |
18.50 Lot | |||
| Heinz baked beans 1 tin |
8 Lot | |||
 1.5 kg Sugar |
10 Lot | |||
| 2 liter cooking oil |
20 Lot | |||
 Yum-yum noodles per pack |
2.00 Lot | |||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes |
5.50 Lot | |||
 1 liter milk |
8.50 Lot | |||
 Fast food restaurant large serving/ take away |
25 Lot | |||
| Housing | ||||
 Utilities per month (water, electricity, gas) for 2 people in flat |
165 Lot | |||
 Wi-Fi monthly fee 8 Mbps (1 month) |
145 Lot | |||
 Laundry detergent (bleach, sunlight liquid, washing surf… altogether) |
58.50 Lot | |||
 House Cleaning fee per day |
105 Lot | |||
 Large Gas heater price range upwards. |
200 Lot | |||
 Original branded Electric Fans |
200 Lot | |||
 Original branded Electric kettle. |
120 Lot | |||
 40 inches Beko flat screen HD TV set |
2000 Lot | |||
 Single bed Blankets |
120 Lot | |||
| Personal Care | ||||
 Avon for women and men cologne |
100 Lot | |||
 Ladies hair plaiting. |
60 Lot | |||
 Ladies Sanitaryware (Pads and Tampoons) |
18 Lot | |||
 Men's haircut |
40 Lot | |||
 Ibuprofen, Panadol, Grandpa Pain killers box of 12 dosses |
24.50 Lot | |||
 Mobile package local network providers’ talk-time, data and messages |
65 Lot | |||
 1 month of gym subscription. |
105 Lot | |||
 Earphones original (Samsung. iPhone) |
90 Lot | |||
| Unisex Loris perfume |
30 Lot | |||
 Gadgets maintenance and repairs (cellphone, laptops, tablets...) starting price. |
100 Lot | |||
| Smart phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, HTC, IPhone) price range upwards |
1000 Lot | |||
 Laptops (Samsung, Lenovo, Hp, Monster, Dell etc.) price range upwards |
3000 Lot | |||
| Entertainment | ||||
 Boat cruise with refreshments and finger snacks |
120 Lot | |||
 Go carting 30mins |
120 Lot | |||
 Movie House 3d cinema |
30 Lot | |||
 Summer Festivals (jet, bumper cars, lucky deep ...(per ticket) |
15 Lot | |||
 Photo shoot |
120 Lot | |||
 Cappuccino / expresso/ coffee |
12.50 Lot | |||
 3 course dinner local restaurant two people |
96.50 Lot | |||
 3 course dinner classy, exotic restaurant two people |
150 Lot | |||
 Play station 4 console without games. |
2000 Lot | |||
 Spalding Basketball |
200 Lot | |||
 Original branded Racket and Wilson’s tennis balls |
500 Lot | |||
| Transportation | ||||
 Taxi fare on average 5-10km |
45 Lot | |||
 Public transport per trip one way maximum fare |
30 Lot | |||
 1 liter petrol/diesel |
6.50 Lot | |||
| 1 day rent a car cost |
140 Lot | |||
 Driver’s license |
2300 Lot | |||
| Clothes | ||||
 1 pair of jeans (Denim or similar) |
150 Lot | |||
 1 pair of men’s formal shoes |
215 Lot | |||
 1 pair original sport/casual shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) |
280 Lot | |||
 1 classy summer dress (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) |
135.79 Lot | |||
 Ladies formal shoes original and durable |
120 Lot | |||
 Back-pack, gym bag (Nike, Adidas, New balance) |
150 Lot | |||
Overall Cost of Living
Cost of living here is very cheap. Renting a one bedroom flat in the city centre of Nouakchott, the biggest city with the biggest university, costs around $350USD. Utilities amount to half of that in addition, and other costs (food, clothing, transportation, leisure) are again about $100USD per month. This adds up to a total of a $450USD budget, which can be greatly reduced by choosing to stay in a hostel provided for students. The average budget in USD in Lesotho is as following:
1. Clothing: Cost is low for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. Average price for an international brand of mens jeans is USD$20, a quality international brand of running shoes USD$50, mens leather shoes suitable for office wear USD$60 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is USD$30.
2. Communication: Cost is average for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is USD$30, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$0.10 per minute.
3. Groceries: Cost is reasonably low for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. Average grocery prices in a major international retail store for 1 kg apples is USD$1, 1 kg oranges USD$2, 1 head lettuce USD$0.50, 1 kg potatos USD$2.50, 1 kg boneless, skinless, chicken breast USD$8, 1 kg cheddar cheese USD$13, 1 dozen large eggs USD$2, 500g loaf white bread USD$1.50, 1 L full cream milk USD$1.90, and 1.5 L water USD$0.90.
4. Healthcare: Cost is average for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. Average healthcare cost for a private practice Doctor visit for an uninsured patient is USD$45, and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is USD$1,200.
5. Transport: Cost is average for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. Average price over the last year for highest available octane petrol / gasoline (1L) is USD$1.02, while the benchmark car sedan purchase price including taxes/duties for a compact / small / economy vehicle (1.4 L) is USD$15 000.
Monthly Budget
Those interested in simple living should budget between $350USD or less monthly. Generally, this budget allows for bus rides and the occasional taxi, big trips to the farmers' market and a few restaurant meals each month. While you can choose to live in relative luxury, employing full-time housekeepers, commuting by car, enjoying exquisite homes and consuming imported goods such lifestyles can easily amount to $450 or more monthly.
