Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $799 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Rustenburg
🇿🇦 South Africa
$799
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Rustenburg

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $799 in Rustenburg, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Rustenburg $799

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,318 in Rustenburg, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Rustenburg $1,318

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,837 in Rustenburg, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Rustenburg $1,837

London costs about 399% more than Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Rustenburg is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$6.11 R 101
324.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$43.66 R 719
143.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$6.28 R 103
70.54%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$2.03 R 33.47
169.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$0.96 R 15.75
209.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$0.50 R 8.26
340.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$1.48 R 24.37
516.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$2.09 R 34.40
279.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.12 R 18.38
66.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$0.99 R 16.36
109.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$1.77 R 29.20
36.72%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$2.70 R 44.53
88.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$7.35 R 121
75.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$5.01 R 82.6
108.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$6.44 R 106
161.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$1.76 R 29.00
76.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.59 R 26.27
-11.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.79 R 29.47
72.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$1.14 R 18.78
186.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.33 R 21.96
18.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.09 R 17.89
59.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.28 R 21.15
9.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.94 R 15.48
91.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$3.12 R 51.5
646.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$5.96 R 98.2
118.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$0.58 R 9.55
446.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$0.95 R 15.61
365.26%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Rustenburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$0.82 R 13.48
580.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$0.88 R 14.42
281.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$14.67 R 242
286.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.43 R 23.55
48.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$28.4K R 468.3K
34.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$27.6K R 455.5K
47.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$74.9 R 1,233
397.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$13.66 R 225
30.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$36.01 R 593
12.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$21.21 R 349
182.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$6.21 R 102
242.83%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$4.94 R 81.5
259.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$112 R 1,841
2463.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$5,493 R 90.5K
543.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$43.05 R 709
164.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$46.85 R 772
15.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$109 R 1,798
13.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$54.7 R 901
198.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Rustenburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$336 R 5,537
753.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$239 R 3,937
834.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$717 R 11.8K
634.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$520 R 8,559
627.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Rustenburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
$1,085 R 17.9K
364.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
9.9
-52.12%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Rustenburg
$239 89.3% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Rustenburg
$125 71.1% $306
Eating Out
London
$388
Rustenburg
$110 71.7% $278
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Rustenburg
$176 49.7% $174
Getting Around
London
$285
Rustenburg
$5.2 * 98.2% $280
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Rustenburg
$114 44.3% $91
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Rustenburg
$31 67.4% $64

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 $336 in Rustenburg. 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 364% 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 $44.00 in Rustenburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $176 – making Rustenburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇿🇦 Rustenburg
🕒 Local time
11:37 11:37 AM
12:37 12:37 PM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
549,575
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Rustenburg 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Rustenburg compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $799 in Rustenburg – roughly 399% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Rustenburg?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,199 in Rustenburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Rustenburg?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rustenburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: London or Rustenburg?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $799 in Rustenburg. That's a gap of about 399%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Rustenburg?
Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $112 in Rustenburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rustenburg, where all-in costs run around $799, than in London at $3,986. In Rustenburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Rustenburg?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $799 in Rustenburg to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between London and Rustenburg?
If budget matters most, go with Rustenburg. 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.

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