Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,200 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Port Elizabeth

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

London $4,086
Port Elizabeth $1,233

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $1,847 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

London $5,816
Port Elizabeth $1,847

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $2,461 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

London $7,546
Port Elizabeth $2,461

London costs about 231% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Port Elizabeth is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$10.62 R 175

150.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$42.87 R 707

150.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$6.02 R 99.3

72.59%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$2.12 R 35.03

173.11%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.04 R 17.24

189.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.72 R 11.93

198.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$2.76 R 45.50

238.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$3.06 R 50.5

156.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.14 R 18.74

57.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.04 R 17.10

98.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.44 R 23.78

60.42%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$2.81 R 46.33

79.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$8.58 R 142

46.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$5.47 R 90.2

94.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$8.28 R 137

106.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.11 R 34.80

43.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.54 R 25.46

-8.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.61 R 26.56

89.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$1.78 R 29.43

89.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.73 R 28.56

-3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.42 R 23.46

21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.29 R 21.27

9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.01 R 16.70

77.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$3.13 R 51.6

641.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$4.82 R 79.6

169.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.25 R 20.63

154.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$1.82 R 30.06

142.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.09 R 17.96

255.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$36.08 R 595

593.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$2.12 R 35.03

169.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.50 R 8.20

566.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$8.45 R 139

585.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.45 R 23.86

40.69%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$35.4K R 584.3K

6.03%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$34.0K R 561.2K

20.23%

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

$376 £284

$123 R 2,024

206.56%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$35.08 R 579

-49.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$45.22 R 746

-11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$31.88 R 526

91.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$22.73 R 375

-7.30%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$10.61 R 175

69.18%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$176 R 2,902

1529.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$6,192 R 102.2K

470.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$70.6 R 1,164

64.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$38.27 R 631

41.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$110 R 1,807

15.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$96.5 R 1,593

65.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$612 R 10.1K

366.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$418 R 6,891

451.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$805 R 13.3K

546.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$689 R 11.4K

440.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$750 R 12.4K

2436.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$531 R 8,754

1385.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$1,612 R 26.6K

198.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

11.94

-61.06%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 81.9% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 53.2% $231

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 60.8% $241

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 43.7% $153

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 84.4% $243

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 30.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 45.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $612 in Port Elizabeth. 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 199% 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $197 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Port Elizabeth 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,233 in Port Elizabeth – roughly 231% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $1,849 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 78% 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 $108 in London and $43.00 in Port Elizabeth. 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 Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,233, than in London at $4,086. In Port Elizabeth 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 $1,233 in Port Elizabeth to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Port Elizabeth. 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.