Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $36,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Polokwane

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $959 in Polokwane, rent included.

London $3,986
Polokwane $959

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,417 in Polokwane, rent included.

London $5,791
Polokwane $1,417

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,875 in Polokwane, rent included.

London $7,595
Polokwane $1,875

London costs about 315% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Polokwane is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$12.24 R 202

111.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$29.66 R 489

259.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.46 R 123

43.57%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.38 R 39.26

129.83%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.77 R 12.68

285.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.88 R 14.47

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$1.68 R 27.65

443.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$1.88 R 30.95

322.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.32 R 21.71

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.08 R 17.82

91.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$1.70 R 28.03

42.35%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.65 R 43.69

92.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$7.84 R 129

64.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.59 R 75.6

127.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$6.04 R 99.6

179.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.01 R 33.19

54.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.85 R 30.53

-24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.81 R 29.80

70.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.96 R 32.30

66.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.67 R 27.49

-5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.50 R 24.73

16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.12 R 18.48

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.82 R 13.46

119.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$2.68 R 44.22

768.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$4.87 R 80.2

167.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.15 R 18.88

175.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$1.61 R 26.54

174.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.92 R 15.22

342.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$30.03 R 495

721.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.87 R 14.41

541.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.95 R 15.66

253.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$14.36 R 237

295.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.43 R 23.52

48.95%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$26.1K R 430.1K

46.28%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$28.5K R 469.0K

43.67%

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

$372 £279

$138 R 2,281

168.79%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$38.10 R 628

-53.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$32.99 R 544

22.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$23.29 R 384

157.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$8.00 R 132

121.75%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$179 R 2,946

1501.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,452 R 23.9K

2333.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$45.30 R 746

151.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$37.73 R 622

43.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$80.6 R 1,328

54.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$93.7 R 1,544

73.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$290 R 4,785

887.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$203 R 3,338

1002.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$420 R 6,922

1153.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$284 R 4,683

1229.27%

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

$1,343 R 22.1K

275.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

10.91

-56.55%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 90.9% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 51.3% $221

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 56.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 47% $164

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 86.2% $246

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 43.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 58.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $290 in Polokwane. 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 275% 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 $30.00 in Polokwane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $185 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

628,999

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

London Polokwane 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Polokwane

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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $959 in Polokwane – roughly 315% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,439 in Polokwane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 89% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $30.00 in Polokwane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in London at $3,986. In Polokwane 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 $959 in Polokwane to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Polokwane. 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.