Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and George

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.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in George

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 George actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

London $3,986
George $1,105

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

London $5,791
George $1,834

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

London $7,595
George $2,563

Living in London is roughly 261% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$10.87 R 179

138.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$41.26 R 680

158.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$4.81 R 79.3

122.66%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.10 R 34.66

160.48%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$1.06 R 17.47

180.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.77 R 12.63

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.72 R 44.76

235.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.20 R 52.8

148.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.13 R 18.55

64.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.04 R 17.20

99.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.43 R 23.63

69.23%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.80 R 46.05

81.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.36 R 138

53.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$5.45 R 89.8

91.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$6.66 R 110

153.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.61 R 26.49

93.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.47 R 24.19

-4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.54 R 25.33

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.73 R 28.44

89.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.63 R 26.89

-3.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.42 R 23.41

22.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.25 R 20.53

12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.97 R 15.99

85.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$3.18 R 52.4

632.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$4.72 R 77.8

176.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.22 R 20.09

159.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.73 R 28.48

155.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.54 R 25.37

164.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$27.77 R 457

788.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.58 R 9.50

862.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.47 R 7.67

614.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$8.38 R 138

577.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.22 R 20.03

74.59%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$29.7K R 488.9K

28.69%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$29.4K R 483.7K

39.30%

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

$372 £279

$121 R 1,995

207.42%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$17.44 R 287

2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$45.19 R 745

-10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$29.75 R 490

101.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$10.64 R 175

100.09%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$6.08 R 100

191.78%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$137 R 2,263

1985.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$5,187 R 85.5K

581.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$71.5 R 1,177

59.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$37.94 R 625

43.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$112 R 1,845

10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$85.8 R 1,413

90.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$422 R 6,956

579.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$365 R 6,010

512.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$773 R 12.7K

581.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$929 R 15.3K

306.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$871 R 14.4K

2003.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$652 R 10.7K

1129.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$1,364 R 22.5K

269.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

10.92

-56.59%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

George

$365 33% 83.7% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

George

$184 16.6% 57.3% $247

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

George

$154 13.9% 60.3% $234

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

George

$186 16.8% 46.8% $164

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

George

$37 3.3% 87.1% $249

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

George

$138 12.5% 32.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

George

$42 3.8% 56.1% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $422 in George. 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: $107 in London vs $41.00 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $186 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

188,580

💱 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 George 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

London
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 269% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,869 in London versus $422 in George. 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 $3,986 per month in London versus $1,105 in George – 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, London and George 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.