Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
London $4,086

A couple spends around $2,192 per month in Johannesburg vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,192
London $5,816

A family of three spends $2,978 per month in Johannesburg vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,978
London $7,546

Johannesburg is about 66% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Johannesburg and London sit above the global median – Johannesburg by 5%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 198

$26.62 £20.12

-55.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 R 731

$108 £81.3

-59.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 123

$10.39 £7.86

-28.68%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.89

$5.79 £4.38

-57.34%

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

$1.17 R 19.46

$3.01 £2.27

-61.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.49

$2.15 £1.63

-59.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.50

$9.35 £7.07

-75.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 46.10

$7.84 £5.93

-64.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.23

$1.79 £1.35

-25.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 R 20.51

$2.06 £1.56

-39.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.49

$2.31 £1.74

-22.94%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.82

$5.05 £3.82

-47.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 140

$12.57 £9.50

-33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.9

$10.66 £8.05

-49.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$17.13 £12.95

-50.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.94

$3.03 £2.29

-32.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.81

$1.41 £1.07

27.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.48

$3.05 £2.31

-39.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.64

$3.38 £2.56

-39.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.38

$1.67 £1.26

2.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.31

$1.73 £1.31

5.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 R 23.46

$1.41 £1.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.94

$1.79 £1.35

-26.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.1

$23.22 £17.55

-85.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R 99.3

$12.99 £9.82

-53.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.46

$3.18 £2.41

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.49

$4.41 £3.34

-44.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 R 34.02

$3.87 £2.93

-47.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 R 1,485

$250 £189

-64.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.65

$5.71 £4.31

-85.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.49

$3.33 £2.51

-72.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 243

$57.9 £43.77

-74.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.04 £1.54

-26.47%

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

$36.0K R 597.7K

$37.5K £28.4K

-4.03%

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

$32.7K R 542.6K

$40.9K £30.9K

-20.00%

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

$227 R 3,770

$376 £284

-39.55%

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

$37.98 R 630

$17.88 £13.51

112.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.49 R 605

$40.01 £30.25

-8.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 R 611

$61.2 £46.23

-39.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 R 288

$21.07 £15.93

-17.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 R 130

$17.95 £13.57

-56.32%

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

$238 R 3,951

$2,865 £2,166

-91.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R 92.3K

$35.3K £26.7K

-84.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 R 972

$116 £87.7

-49.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 R 772

$54.1 £40.88

-13.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,805

$127 £95.7

-14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,747

$159 £120

-33.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 R 8,220

$2,853 £2,157

-82.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,995

$2,301 £1,740

-81.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R 16.2K

$5,201 £3,932

-81.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 R 14.8K

$3,723 £2,814

-76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$964 R 16.0K

$19.0K £14.4K

-94.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$7,881 £5,957

-90.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 R 29.1K

$4,818 £3,642

-63.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

4.65

134.62%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$422 29.9%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 446% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$302 21.4%

London

$434 10.7% 43.8% $132

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$216 15.3%

London

$349 8.6% 62% $134

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.2%

London

$397 9.7% 130% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.2%

London

$205 5% 42.8% $62

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

London

$288 7.1% 179% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$53 3.7%

London

$97 2.4% 84.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $496 in Johannesburg versus $2,853 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 175% 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 $44.00 in Johannesburg versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $349 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

1 h behind Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg London 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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

Johannesburg vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 191% more than Johannesburg, 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 $2,109 per month in Johannesburg and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Johannesburg and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 191%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,406, than in London at $4,086. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,406 versus $4,086 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 Johannesburg. 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.