Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Tembisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,106 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
Learn more

Tembisa Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Tembisa

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $1,106 in Tembisa, rent included.

London $4,049
Tembisa $1,106

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $1,692 in Tembisa, rent included.

London $5,827
Tembisa $1,692

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $2,279 in Tembisa, rent included.

London $7,605
Tembisa $2,279

London costs about 266% more than Tembisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Tembisa is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$9.55 R 157

183.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$40.71 R 671

156.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$5.67 R 93.5

91.53%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$2.24 R 36.98

150.00%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$1.05 R 17.34

190.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$0.87 R 14.40

162.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$2.42 R 39.79

281.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$2.78 R 45.74

185.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.21 R 19.90

51.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.13 R 18.68

81.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.75 R 28.88

41.14%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$2.54 R 41.85

101.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$8.67 R 143

48.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$5.08 R 83.7

113.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$7.38 R 122

130.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$1.79 R 29.57

71.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.68 R 27.65

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.81 R 29.74

65.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.67 R 27.52

102.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.53 R 25.22

4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.40 R 23.09

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.24 R 20.48

13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.05 R 17.35

72.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$3.61 R 59.5

562.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$5.31 R 87.5

154.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.43 R 23.50

125.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$1.80 R 29.68

143.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$1.36 R 22.38

188.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.68 R 11.20

720.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$0.98 R 16.21

233.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$11.10 R 183

426.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.54 R 25.38

35.06%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$32.4K R 534.0K

19.83%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$31.7K R 521.5K

28.29%

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

$380 £285

$148 R 2,438

156.82%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$31.88 R 525

-41.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$38.41 R 633

5.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$32.17 R 530

90.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$9.83 R 162

117.80%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$6.34 R 105

185.33%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$246 R 4,057

1079.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$6,091 R 100.3K

483.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$60.3 R 993

93.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$37.09 R 611

46.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$101 R 1,665

26.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$82.4 R 1,358

102.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$406 R 6,686

602.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$365 R 6,008

522.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$688 R 11.3K

663.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$673 R 11.1K

457.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$942 R 15.5K

1866.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$694 R 11.4K

1067.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$574 R 9,454

790.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

10.94

-56.67%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Tembisa

$365 33% 83.9% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Tembisa

$218 19.7% 50.3% $221

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Tembisa

$146 13.2% 63.6% $254

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Tembisa

$195 17.6% 44.8% $158

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Tembisa

$11 * 1% 96.1% $269

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Tembisa

$126 11.4% 39.7% $83

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Tembisa

$45 4.1% 54% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $406 in Tembisa. 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 790% 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 $104 in London versus $41.00 in Tembisa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $195 – making Tembisa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

463,109

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Tembisa 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Tembisa

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $1,106 in Tembisa – roughly 266% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $1,659 in Tembisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,049 in London and $1,106 in Tembisa. That's a gap of about 266%.

Kindergarten costs $2,905 per month in London and $246 in Tembisa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tembisa, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in London at $4,049. In Tembisa 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 $1,106 in Tembisa to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tembisa. 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.