Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $1,001 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,001 per month in East London vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

East London $1,001
London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,632 per month in East London vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

East London $1,632
London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,262 per month in East London vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

East London $2,262
London $7,595

East London is about 75% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

East London sits 26% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.27 R 153

$25.93 £19.45

-64.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.10 R 628

$107 £79.9

-64.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.4

$10.71 £8.03

-46.50%

Cappuccino

$2.07 R 34.16

$5.47 £4.11

-62.16%

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

$1.02 R 16.79

$2.97 £2.23

-65.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.92

$2.20 £1.65

-64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 R 44.62

$9.13 £6.85

-70.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 R 52.1

$7.94 £5.96

-60.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.32

$1.86 £1.40

-37.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 R 15.51

$2.07 £1.55

-54.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$2.42 £1.81

-37.19%

Eggs

$2.29 R 37.81

$5.09 £3.82

-55.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 R 144

$12.87 £9.66

-32.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.3

$10.43 £7.82

-48.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 R 109

$16.87 £12.66

-60.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$3.11 £2.33

-50.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.62

$1.40 £1.05

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.68

$3.08 £2.31

-45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.83

$3.27 £2.45

-53.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.53

$1.58 £1.19

5.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.45

$1.74 £1.31

-18.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.49

$1.40 £1.05

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.19

$1.80 £1.35

-48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 47.01

$23.28 £17.46

-87.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 R 80.7

$13.03 £9.77

-62.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.79

$3.17 £2.38

-64.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.04

$4.42 £3.32

-79.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.40

$4.07 £3.05

-62.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.97 R 774

$247 £185

-80.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R 19.60

$5.58 £4.18

-78.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.11

$3.36 £2.52

-85.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 R 141

$56.8 £42.57

-84.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.30

$2.13 £1.60

-36.62%

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

$35.4K R 582.9K

$38.2K £28.6K

-7.35%

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

$30.1K R 495.4K

$40.9K £30.7K

-26.47%

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

$121 R 1,994

$372 £279

-67.48%

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

$32.82 R 541

$17.82 £13.37

84.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.33 R 730

$40.37 £30.29

9.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 R 646

$60.0 £44.99

-34.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 R 79.3

$17.74 £13.31

-72.89%

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

$176 R 2,896

$2,864 £2,149

-93.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,405 R 89.1K

$35.3K £26.5K

-84.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 R 944

$114 £85.5

-49.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 R 554

$54.3 £40.71

-38.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R 1,214

$124 £93.2

-40.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,568

$163 £122

-41.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 R 4,760

$2,869 £2,152

-89.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 R 4,219

$2,233 £1,675

-88.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 R 9,017

$5,266 £3,950

-89.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 R 10.8K

$3,778 £2,834

-82.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,019

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,657 R 27.3K

$5,037 £3,778

-67.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

132.07%

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

Last update for East London: 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

East London

$256 25.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 772% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$198 19.8%

London

$430 10.8% 117% $232

Groceries & Markets

East London

$181 18.1%

London

$349 8.8% 92.8% $168

Eating Out

East London

$143 14.3%

London

$388 9.7% 170% $244

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$117 11.7%

London

$205 5.1% 75.4% $88

Getting Around

East London

$57 5.7%

London

$285 7.2% 403% $229

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

London

$95 2.4% 95.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in East London 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 204% 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 $38.00 in East London versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $349 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

1 h behind East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

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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Highest

Between locations

East London London 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,001 in East London, $3,986 in London – roughly 298% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,502 per month in East London 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 East London, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $176 per month in East London and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in London at $3,986. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,001 in East London to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with East London. 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.