Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Johannesburg

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.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Johannesburg

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

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

London $4,086
Johannesburg $1,406

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

London $5,816
Johannesburg $2,192

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

London $7,546
Johannesburg $2,978

London costs about 191% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$11.96 R 198

122.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$44.08 R 731

144.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$7.41 R 123

40.22%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$2.47 R 40.89

134.41%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.17 R 19.46

157.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.87 R 14.49

147.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$2.26 R 37.50

313.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$2.78 R 46.10

182.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.34 R 22.23

33.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.24 R 20.51

66.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.78 R 29.49

29.78%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$2.64 R 43.82

91.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$8.42 R 140

49.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$5.36 R 88.9

98.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$8.43 R 140

103.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.05 R 33.94

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.80 R 29.81

-21.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.84 R 30.48

65.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.03 R 33.64

66.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.71 R 28.38

-2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.83 R 30.31

-5.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.41 R 23.46

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.32 R 21.94

35.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$3.38 R 56.1

586.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$5.99 R 99.3

116.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$1.84 R 30.46

72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$2.44 R 40.49

80.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$2.05 R 34.02

88.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$89.5 R 1,485

179.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$0.82 R 13.65

596.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.93 R 15.49

258.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$14.67 R 243

294.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.50 R 24.90

36.00%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$36.0K R 597.7K

4.19%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$32.7K R 542.6K

25.00%

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

$376 £284

$227 R 3,770

65.44%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$37.98 R 630

-52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$36.49 R 605

9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$36.84 R 611

66.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$17.39 R 288

21.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$7.84 R 130

128.95%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$238 R 3,951

1102.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$5,563 R 92.3K

535.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$58.6 R 972

97.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$46.52 R 772

16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$109 R 1,805

16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$105 R 1,747

51.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$496 R 8,220

475.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$422 R 6,995

445.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$979 R 16.2K

431.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$892 R 14.8K

317.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$964 R 16.0K

1872.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$757 R 12.5K

941.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$1,755 R 29.1K

174.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

10.91

-57.38%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Johannesburg

$422 29.9% 81.7% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Johannesburg

$302 21.4% 30.5% $132

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Johannesburg

$173 12.2% 56.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Johannesburg

$216 15.3% 38.3% $134

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 64.1% $185

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Johannesburg

$144 10.2% 30% $62

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Johannesburg

$53 3.7% 45.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Johannesburg 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: 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 $6,129 per month in London and $2,109 in Johannesburg. 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 $108 in London and $44.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,086 in London and $1,406 in Johannesburg. 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.