Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,148 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Stilbaai
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,148
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Stilbaai

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $1,148 in Stilbaai, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Stilbaai $1,148

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $1,832 in Stilbaai, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Stilbaai $1,832

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $2,516 in Stilbaai, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Stilbaai $2,516

London costs about 247% more than Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Stilbaai is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$11.91 R 196
117.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$46.22 R 761
130.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$6.10 R 100
75.57%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$2.38 R 39.28
129.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$1.26 R 20.84
135.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$0.96 R 15.77
129.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$2.95 R 48.65
209.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$3.58 R 59.1
121.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.38 R 22.74
34.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.26 R 20.69
64.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$2.20 R 36.30
10.00%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$2.97 R 48.89
71.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$8.94 R 147
43.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$6.94 R 114
50.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
$9.58 R 158
76.10%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$1.92 R 31.62
61.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.94 R 32.00
-27.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$1.65 R 27.23
86.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$2.13 R 35.11
53.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.55 R 25.57
1.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.47 R 24.20
18.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.28 R 21.04
9.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.18 R 19.49
52.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$3.56 R 58.7
553.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$5.97 R 98.4
118.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.32 R 21.71
140.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$2.15 R 35.46
105.58%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Stilbaai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.48 R 24.38
175.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$0.59 R 9.68
845.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$1.53 R 25.16
119.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.58
$5.07 R 83.6
1019.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.52 R 25.00
40.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$35.0K R 577.0K
9.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$31.2K R 513.6K
31.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$114 R 1,883
225.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$28.76 R 474
-38.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$39.29 R 647
2.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$31.60 R 521
89.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$10.58 R 174
101.23%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$8.83 R 145
100.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$267 R 4,405
971.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$6,885 R 113.4K
413.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$56.3 R 928
102.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$32.76 R 540
65.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$120 R 1,981
3.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$105 R 1,726
55.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Stilbaai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$387 R 6,374
641.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$363 R 5,973
515.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,951
$739 R 12.2K
612.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,835
$742 R 12.2K
409.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
$864 R 14.2K
2022.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,020
$663 R 10.9K
1110.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Stilbaai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,779
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
10.97
-56.79%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Stilbaai
$363 83.8% $1.9K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Stilbaai
$182 57.6% $248
Eating Out
London
$388
Stilbaai
$173 55.4% $215
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Stilbaai
$226 35.5% $124
Getting Around
London
$285
Stilbaai
$14 * 95% $271
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Stilbaai
$141 31.1% $64
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Stilbaai
$49 48.4% $46

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 $387 in Stilbaai. 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 $46.00 in Stilbaai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $226 – making Stilbaai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇿🇦 Stilbaai
🕒 Local time
03:34 3:34 AM
04:34 4:34 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
8,000
💱 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 Stilbaai 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Stilbaai compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $1,148 in Stilbaai – roughly 247% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Stilbaai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $1,722 in Stilbaai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Stilbaai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Stilbaai, 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 Stilbaai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $1,148 in Stilbaai. That's a gap of about 247%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Stilbaai?
Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $267 in Stilbaai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stilbaai, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in London at $3,986. In Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,148 in Stilbaai to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Stilbaai safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between London and Stilbaai?
If budget matters most, go with Stilbaai. 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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