Swaziland, Mbabane

Country Full Name: The Kingdom of Swaziland.

Location: Swaziland is in Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa.

Country Climate: Varies from tropical to near temperate.

Country Terrain: Mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains.

Major Languages: Swazi, English (both official).

Major Religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs.

Population: 0.095 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Swaziland is fairly diversified, with agriculture, forestry and mining accounting for about 13% of GDP, manufacturing (textiles and sugar-related processing) representing 37% of GDP. The majority of the population ? about 75%?is employed in subsistence agriculture.

Currency: Swaziland Lilangeni (SZL).

Inflation: 5.5% (2011 est.).

Mbabane is the capital and largest city of Swaziland.

Mbabane, and Swaziland itself, depend on tourism and sugar exports.

The cost of living in Mbabane in Swaziland is very low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Mbabane in Swaziland is currently ranked 714 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are average compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 354 places that are more expensive, and 425 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 691 places that are more expensive, and 88 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are average compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 426 places that are more expensive, and 353 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 581 places that are more expensive, and 198 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are low compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 489 places that are more expensive, and 290 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very low compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 675 places that are more expensive, and 104 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 752 places that are more expensive, and 27 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very low compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 752 places that are more expensive, and 27 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 703 places that are more expensive, and 76 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 685 places that are more expensive, and 94 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are low compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 607 places that are more expensive, and 172 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are high compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 184 places that are more expensive, and 595 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very high compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 151 places that are more expensive, and 628 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Mbabane in Swaziland are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Mbabane in Swaziland is ranked as high degree of hardship with a hardship index of 30%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Mbabane in Swaziland are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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