Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benoni and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Benoni
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,072
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benoni and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Benoni and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,072 in Benoni versus $3,986 in London.

  • Benoni $1,072
  • London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Benoni versus $5,791 in London.

  • Benoni $1,331
  • London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,589 in Benoni versus $7,595 in London.

  • Benoni $1,589
  • London $7,595

Living in Benoni costs roughly 73% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Benoni is 21% below, London is 195% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Benoni
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.19 R 168
$25.93 £19.45
-60.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.46 R 617
$107 £79.9
-64.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.86 R 96.5
$10.71 £8.03
-45.28%
Cappuccino
$2.22 R 36.61
$5.47 £4.11
-59.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 R 19.64
$2.97 £2.23
-59.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R 14.00
$2.20 £1.65
-61.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.33 R 38.33
$9.13 £6.85
-74.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 R 45.15
$7.94 £5.96
-65.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Benoni
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 R 20.16
$1.86 £1.40
-34.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 R 18.65
$2.07 £1.55
-45.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 28.33
$2.42 £1.81
-28.93%
Eggs
$2.46 R 40.48
$5.09 £3.82
-51.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.31 R 137
$12.87 £9.66
-35.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 R 80.1
$10.43 £7.82
-53.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.12 R 117
$16.87 £12.66
-57.79%
Apples (1kg)
$1.73 R 28.55
$3.11 £2.33
-44.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 R 26.81
$1.40 £1.05
16.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 R 29.58
$3.08 £2.31
-41.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.70
$3.27 £2.45
-52.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 R 18.39
$1.58 £1.19
-29.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 R 20.10
$1.74 £1.31
-29.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.23 R 20.29
$1.40 £1.05
-12.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.97
$1.80 £1.35
-29.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 R 55.5
$23.28 £17.46
-85.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.09 R 83.8
$13.03 £9.77
-60.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 R 24.94
$3.17 £2.38
-52.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 R 32.14
$4.42 £3.32
-55.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Benoni
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$4.07 £3.05
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$247 £185
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 R 4.72
$5.58 £4.18
-94.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.89 R 14.67
$3.36 £2.52
-73.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.73 R 243
$56.8 £42.58
-74.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.41
$2.13 £1.60
-27.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K R 578.8K
$38.2K £28.6K
-8.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K R 534.9K
$40.9K £30.7K
-20.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benoni
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 R 3,342
$372 £279
-45.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.42 R 633
$17.82 £13.37
115.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.63 R 604
$40.37 £30.29
-9.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Benoni
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.06 R 297
$60.0 £44.99
-69.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.29 £15.97
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.10 R 117
$17.74 £13.31
-59.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Benoni
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$246 R 4,051
$2,864 £2,149
-91.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,577 R 91.9K
$35.3K £26.5K
-84.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Benoni
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 R 882
$114 £85.5
-53.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.40 R 534
$54.3 £40.71
-40.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 R 1,515
$124 £93.2
-26.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 R 1,397
$163 £122
-48.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Benoni
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$398 R 6,557
$2,869 £2,152
-86.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$296 R 4,881
$2,233 £1,675
-86.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$487 R 8,029
$5,266 £3,951
-90.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,778 £2,835
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.3K £13.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$8,024 £6,020
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Benoni
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,041 R 33.6K
$5,037 £3,779
-59.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.91
4.74
130.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Benoni
$296
London
$2.2K 654% $1.9K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benoni
$278
London
$430 54.8% $152
Groceries & Markets
Benoni
$192
London
$349 82.1% $158
Eating Out
Benoni
$151
London
$388 157% $236
Clothing & Footwear
Benoni
$118
London
$205 73.5% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Benoni
$32
London
$95 196% $63
Getting Around
Benoni
$4.7 *
London
$285 5922% $281

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Benoni and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 147% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Benoni vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $349 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Benoni
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
10:16 10:16 AM
09:16 9:16 AM
1 h behind Benoni
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
158,777
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Benoni London 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Benoni
  • London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Benoni vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Benoni and in London?
Benoni and London differ by about 272% in total monthly costs ($1,072 vs $3,986 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 147% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Benoni and in London?
Rent for a central apartment: $398 in Benoni versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Benoni or London?
All in, you'll spend $1,072 per month in Benoni versus $3,986 in London – a 272% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,072 in Benoni versus $3,986 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Benoni and London?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Benoni or London safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Benoni and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Benoni or London?
Expats usually find Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 272% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Benoni vs other spots: cost of living compared

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