Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $31,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Centurion
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,377
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,377 in Centurion versus $3,986 in London.

  • Centurion $1,377
  • London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in Centurion versus $5,791 in London.

  • Centurion $2,224
  • London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,071 in Centurion versus $7,595 in London.

  • Centurion $3,071
  • London $7,595

Living in Centurion costs roughly 65% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Centurion 2% above, London 195% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Centurion
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.13 R 365
$25.93 £19.45
-14.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.73 R 671
$107 £79.9
-61.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.76 R 95.0
$10.71 £8.03
-46.22%
Cappuccino
$2.57 R 42.33
$5.47 £4.11
-53.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.52
$2.97 £2.23
-68.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 14.35
$2.20 £1.65
-60.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.10 R 34.57
$9.13 £6.85
-77.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 40.42
$7.94 £5.96
-69.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Centurion
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 R 20.27
$1.86 £1.40
-33.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 R 20.11
$2.07 £1.55
-41.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 R 35.83
$2.42 £1.81
-10.33%
Eggs
$3.07 R 50.6
$5.09 £3.82
-39.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.79 R 161
$12.87 £9.66
-23.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.92 R 114
$10.43 £7.82
-33.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.29 R 120
$16.87 £12.66
-56.79%
Apples (1kg)
$1.82 R 29.92
$3.11 £2.33
-41.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 R 29.64
$1.40 £1.05
28.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 R 34.88
$3.08 £2.31
-31.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 R 34.20
$3.27 £2.45
-36.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 R 24.98
$1.58 £1.19
-3.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 R 30.44
$1.74 £1.31
6.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.24
$1.40 £1.05
-3.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 23.99
$1.80 £1.35
-18.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.77 R 62.1
$23.28 £17.46
-83.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.90 R 97.1
$13.03 £9.77
-54.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 R 26.20
$3.17 £2.38
-49.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 R 33.27
$4.42 £3.32
-54.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Centurion
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.47 R 40.75
$4.07 £3.05
-39.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.9 R 1,613
$247 £185
-60.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 R 20.14
$5.58 £4.18
-78.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.23 R 20.20
$3.36 £2.52
-63.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.89 R 146
$56.8 £42.57
-84.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 R 24.75
$2.13 £1.60
-29.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.9K R 591.7K
$38.2K £28.6K
-5.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K R 528.7K
$40.9K £30.7K
-21.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Centurion
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 R 2,260
$372 £279
-63.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.65 R 505
$17.82 £13.37
72.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.07 R 660
$40.37 £30.29
-0.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Centurion
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.79 R 721
$60.0 £44.99
-26.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.29 £15.97
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.73 R 177
$17.74 £13.31
-39.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Centurion
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$314 R 5,174
$2,864 £2,149
-89.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,299 R 70.8K
$35.3K £26.5K
-87.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Centurion
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.5 R 965
$114 £85.5
-48.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.75 R 721
$54.3 £40.71
-19.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 R 1,925
$124 £93.2
-5.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 R 1,699
$163 £122
-36.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Centurion
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$345 R 5,689
$2,869 £2,152
-87.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,115
$2,233 £1,675
-83.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$575 R 9,479
$5,266 £3,950
-89.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$896 R 14.8K
$3,778 £2,834
-76.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$518 R 8,536
$18.3K £13.8K
-97.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$612 R 10.1K
$8,024 £6,019
-92.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Centurion
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,342 R 38.6K
$5,037 £3,778
-53.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.5
4.74
121.52%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Centurion
$371
London
$2.2K 502% $1.9K
Eating Out
Centurion
$248
London
$388 56.3% $140
Groceries & Markets
Centurion
$225
London
$349 55.4% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Centurion
$208
London
$430 107% $222
Clothing & Footwear
Centurion
$145
London
$205 41.4% $60
Getting Around
Centurion
$115
London
$285 148% $170
Sport & Entertainment
Centurion
$65
London
$95 46.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Centurion and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 115% 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: $41.00 in Centurion vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $349 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Centurion
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
23:04 11:04 PM
22:04 10:04 PM
1 h behind Centurion
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
236,580
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 17, 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 17, 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
  • Centurion London 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Centurion
  • 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
Centurion vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Centurion or London?
Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 189% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Centurion or in London?
On paper, salaries run 115% 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 much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Centurion compared to London?
Rent for a central apartment: $345 in Centurion versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Centurion compared to London?
A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 152% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Centurion and in London?
Childcare runs $314 in Centurion versus $2,864 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Centurion or in London?
At $1,377 in Centurion versus $3,986 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Centurion or London?
Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,377 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.
How safe is Centurion compared to London?
Safety-wise, Centurion 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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