Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and London

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in George versus $3,986 in London.

George $1,105
London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in George versus $5,791 in London.

George $1,834
London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in George versus $7,595 in London.

George $2,563
London $7,595

Living in George costs roughly 72% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: George is 18% below, London is 195% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$25.93 £19.45

-58.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$107 £79.9

-61.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$10.71 £8.03

-55.09%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$5.47 £4.11

-61.61%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$2.97 £2.23

-64.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$2.20 £1.65

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$9.13 £6.85

-70.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$7.94 £5.96

-59.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$1.86 £1.40

-39.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$2.07 £1.55

-49.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$2.42 £1.81

-40.91%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$5.09 £3.82

-44.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$12.87 £9.66

-35.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$10.43 £7.82

-47.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$16.87 £12.66

-60.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$3.11 £2.33

-48.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$1.40 £1.05

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$3.08 £2.31

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$3.27 £2.45

-47.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$1.58 £1.19

3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$1.74 £1.31

-18.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$1.40 £1.05

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$1.80 £1.35

-46.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$23.28 £17.46

-86.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$13.03 £9.77

-63.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$3.17 £2.38

-61.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$4.42 £3.32

-60.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$4.07 £3.05

-62.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$247 £185

-88.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$5.58 £4.18

-89.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$3.36 £2.52

-86.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$56.8 £42.58

-85.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$2.13 £1.60

-42.72%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$38.2K £28.6K

-22.29%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$40.9K £30.7K

-28.21%

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

$121 R 1,995

$372 £279

-67.47%

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

$17.44 R 287

$17.82 £13.37

-2.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$40.37 £30.29

11.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$60.0 £44.99

-50.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$21.29 £15.97

-50.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$17.74 £13.31

-65.73%

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

$137 R 2,263

$2,864 £2,149

-95.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$35.3K £26.5K

-85.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$114 £85.5

-37.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$54.3 £40.71

-30.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$124 £93.2

-9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$163 £122

-47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$2,869 £2,152

-85.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$2,233 £1,675

-83.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$5,266 £3,951

-85.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$3,778 £2,835

-75.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$18.3K £13.8K

-95.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$8,024 £6,020

-91.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$5,037 £3,779

-72.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

4.74

130.38%

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

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

George

$365 33%

London

$2.2K 56% 512% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

London

$349 8.8% 87.9% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

London

$430 10.8% 134% $247

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

London

$388 9.7% 152% $234

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

London

$205 5.1% 48.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

London

$95 2.4% 128% $54

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

London

$285 7.2% 675% $249

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in George and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 269% 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 George vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $349 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h behind George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

George London 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 261% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 269% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in George versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in George versus $3,986 in London – a 261% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, George 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.

Expats usually find George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 261% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.