Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,069 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.

52

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,069

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bloemfontein 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 Bloemfontein and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Bloemfontein vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,069
London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,687 per month in Bloemfontein vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,687
London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Bloemfontein vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,305
London $7,595

Bloemfontein is about 73% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bloemfontein sits 21% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 R 196

$25.93 £19.45

-54.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.16 R 678

$107 £79.9

-61.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 122

$10.71 £8.03

-30.81%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R 34.20

$5.47 £4.11

-61.97%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 R 23.11

$2.97 £2.23

-52.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.93

$2.20 £1.65

-50.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.78

$9.13 £6.85

-72.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R 45.06

$7.94 £5.96

-65.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.27

$1.86 £1.40

-43.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.59

$2.07 £1.55

-48.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.12

$2.42 £1.81

-11.98%

Eggs

$2.16 R 35.63

$5.09 £3.82

-57.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 R 124

$12.87 £9.66

-41.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.5

$10.43 £7.82

-51.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.91 R 130

$16.87 £12.66

-53.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.11

$3.11 £2.33

-39.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.84

$1.40 £1.05

12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$3.08 £2.31

-41.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$3.27 £2.45

-52.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.58 £1.19

1.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.51

$1.74 £1.31

6.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.40 £1.05

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.91

$1.80 £1.35

-46.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R 41.89

$23.28 £17.46

-89.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 R 80.9

$13.03 £9.77

-62.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.81

$3.17 £2.38

-42.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.90

$4.42 £3.32

-68.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R 15.35

$4.07 £3.05

-77.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.1 R 1,253

$247 £185

-69.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R 17.56

$5.58 £4.18

-80.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.12

$2.13 £1.60

-34.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.4K R 599.9K

$38.2K £28.6K

-4.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.5K R 469.8K

$40.9K £30.7K

-30.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$77.8 R 1,281

$372 £279

-79.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.29 R 532

$17.82 £13.37

81.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 R 522

$40.37 £30.29

-21.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 R 533

$60.0 £44.99

-46.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$17.74 £13.31

-73.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$200 R 3,296

$2,864 £2,149

-93.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 R 1,003

$114 £85.5

-46.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 R 709

$54.3 £40.71

-20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 R 2,220

$124 £93.2

8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,826

$163 £122

-32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 R 5,139

$2,869 £2,152

-89.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R 4,717

$2,233 £1,675

-87.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 R 8,459

$5,266 £3,951

-90.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 8,954

$3,778 £2,835

-85.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$487 R 8,031

$18.3K £13.8K

-97.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$620 R 10.2K

$8,024 £6,020

-92.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,287 R 21.2K

$5,037 £3,779

-74.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

4.74

155.91%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: 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

Bloemfontein

$286 26.8%

London

$2.2K 56% 680% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$190 17.8%

London

$349 8.8% 83.9% $159

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$171 16%

London

$388 9.7% 127% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.7%

London

$205 5.1% 30.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$142 13.3%

London

$430 10.8% 204% $289

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

London

$285 7.2% 253% $205

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$42 3.9%

London

$95 2.4% 129% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Bloemfontein versus $2,869 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 291% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $349 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h behind Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bloemfontein London 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bloemfontein
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

Bloemfontein vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 273% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,603 per month in Bloemfontein and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bloemfontein, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in London at $3,986. In Bloemfontein it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bloemfontein costs $1,069 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Bloemfontein. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.