Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,084 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,800 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,084 in Hillcrest, rent included.

London $3,986
Hillcrest $1,084

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,681 in Hillcrest, rent included.

London $5,791
Hillcrest $1,681

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $2,279 in Hillcrest, rent included.

London $7,595
Hillcrest $2,279

London costs about 268% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Hillcrest is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$7.59 R 125

241.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$38.42 R 633

177.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$5.87 R 96.8

82.45%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.74 R 45.17

99.64%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$1.08 R 17.77

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.83 R 13.64

165.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.38 R 39.22

283.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$2.50 R 41.26

217.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.23 R 20.34

51.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.91 R 15.06

127.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.48 R 24.36

63.51%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.42 R 39.88

110.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$8.19 R 135

57.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$5.14 R 84.8

102.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.05 R 116

139.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.29 R 21.23

141.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.85 R 30.55

-24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.90 R 31.34

62.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.67 R 27.46

95.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.48 R 24.43

6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.44 R 23.79

20.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.20 R 19.73

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.15 R 19.01

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$3.54 R 58.4

557.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$4.92 R 81.1

164.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.39 R 22.83

128.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.83 R 30.21

141.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$1.46 R 24.09

178.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.40 R 6.66

1295.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.71 R 11.69

373.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$7.55 R 124

651.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.52 R 25.06

40.13%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$35.3K R 580.9K

8.30%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$30.8K R 506.8K

32.94%

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

$372 £279

$143 R 2,362

159.58%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$35.68 R 588

-50.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$39.15 R 645

3.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$31.67 R 522

89.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$10.82 R 178

96.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$7.05 R 116

151.63%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$308 R 5,078

829.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$7,586 R 125.0K

365.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$53.9 R 888

111.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$29.76 R 490

82.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$98.3 R 1,620

26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$83.9 R 1,382

94.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$397 R 6,544

622.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$366 R 6,029

510.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$730 R 12.0K

621.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$734 R 12.1K

414.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$882 R 14.5K

1977.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$659 R 10.9K

1117.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

11.78

-59.76%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Hillcrest

$366 33.8% 83.6% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Hillcrest

$218 20.1% 49.3% $212

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Hillcrest

$136 12.5% 65% $252

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Hillcrest

$188 17.4% 46.1% $161

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Hillcrest

$9.8 * 0.9% 96.6% $276

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Hillcrest

$120 11% 41.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Hillcrest

$46 4.2% 52% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $397 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $38.00 in Hillcrest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $188 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

💱 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 Hillcrest 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,084 in Hillcrest – roughly 268% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,625 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, 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 $107 in London and $38.00 in Hillcrest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% 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 Hillcrest, where all-in costs run around $1,084, than in London at $3,986. In Hillcrest 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 $1,084 in Hillcrest to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Hillcrest. 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.