Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and East 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.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in East London
Learn more

East London Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in East London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in East London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

London $3,986
East London $1,001

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

London $5,791
East London $1,632

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

London $7,595
East London $2,262

London costs about 298% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$9.27 R 153

179.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$38.10 R 628

179.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$5.73 R 94.4

86.91%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.07 R 34.16

164.25%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$1.02 R 16.79

191.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.78 R 12.92

182.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.71 R 44.62

236.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.16 R 52.1

151.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.17 R 19.32

58.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.94 R 15.51

120.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.52 R 24.99

59.21%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.29 R 37.81

122.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.72 R 144

47.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$5.36 R 88.3

94.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$6.64 R 109

154.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.55 R 25.49

100.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.55 R 25.62

-9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.68 R 27.68

83.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.51 R 24.83

116.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.67 R 27.53

-5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.42 R 23.45

22.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.12 R 18.49

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.92 R 15.19

95.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$2.85 R 47.01

716.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$4.90 R 80.7

165.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.14 R 18.79

178.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$0.91 R 15.04

385.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.54 R 25.40

164.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$46.97 R 774

425.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$1.19 R 19.60

368.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.49 R 8.11

585.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$8.55 R 141

563.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.35 R 22.30

57.78%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$35.4K R 582.9K

7.93%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$30.1K R 495.4K

36.00%

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

$372 £279

$121 R 1,994

207.52%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$32.82 R 541

-45.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$44.33 R 730

-8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$39.22 R 646

52.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.81 R 79.3

268.81%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$176 R 2,896

1529.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$5,405 R 89.1K

553.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$57.3 R 944

98.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$33.61 R 554

61.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$73.7 R 1,214

68.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$95.2 R 1,568

71.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$289 R 4,760

892.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$256 R 4,219

772.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$547 R 9,017

862.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$655 R 10.8K

477.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$1,657 R 27.3K

204.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

-56.91%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for East London: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

East London

$256 25.6% 88.5% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

East London

$198 19.8% 54% $232

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

East London

$143 14.3% 63% $244

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

East London

$181 18.1% 48.1% $168

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

East London

$57 5.7% 80.1% $229

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

East London

$117 11.7% 43% $88

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

East London

$49 4.9% 48.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $289 in East 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 $107 in London versus $38.00 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $181 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

London
East 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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,502 in East 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 $2,864 per month in London and $176 in East 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.