Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,133 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Upington

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $1,133 in Upington, rent included.

London $4,049
Upington $1,133

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $1,760 in Upington, rent included.

London $5,827
Upington $1,760

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $2,388 in Upington, rent included.

London $7,605
Upington $2,388

London costs about 257% more than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Upington is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$12.40 R 204

118.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$37.12 R 612

181.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$5.69 R 93.7

90.86%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$1.74 R 28.68

221.84%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$1.04 R 17.17

193.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$0.76 R 12.58

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$1.73 R 28.48

433.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$2.82 R 46.42

181.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.89 R 14.65

105.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.25 R 20.66

64.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.65 R 27.26

49.70%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$2.64 R 43.52

93.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$8.45 R 139

52.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$5.12 R 84.3

111.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$7.27 R 120

134.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.04 R 33.55

50.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.71 R 28.20

-19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.78 R 29.35

67.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.84 R 30.29

84.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.51 R 24.81

5.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.58 R 25.95

13.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.27 R 20.96

11.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.02 R 16.78

77.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$2.76 R 45.51

766.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$3.73 R 61.4

263.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.28 R 21.09

152.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$1.75 R 28.88

150.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$1.74 R 28.72

125.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.55 R 9.03

914.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$0.96 R 15.86

240.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$10.66 R 176

447.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.50 R 24.69

38.67%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$31.3K R 514.9K

24.25%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$34.0K R 560.5K

19.38%

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

$380 £285

$146 R 2,404

160.44%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$37.98 R 626

-50.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$38.45 R 633

5.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$27.77 R 458

120.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$12.05 R 198

77.68%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$6.94 R 114

160.66%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$103 R 1,691

2731.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$5,463 R 90.0K

549.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$61.2 R 1,008

90.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$33.44 R 551

63.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$116 R 1,916

9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$96.9 R 1,597

72.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$394 R 6,494

623.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$369 R 6,084

514.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$616 R 10.2K

751.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$737 R 12.1K

409.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$763 R 12.6K

2328.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$736 R 12.1K

999.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$776 R 12.8K

558.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

11.38

-58.35%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Upington

$369 32.6% 83.7% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Upington

$222 19.6% 49.4% $217

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Upington

$159 14% 60.3% $241

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Upington

$190 16.8% 46.1% $163

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Upington

$12 * 1.1% 95.6% $268

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Upington

$139 12.2% 33.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Upington

$42 3.7% 57.3% $56

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 $394 in Upington. 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 559% 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 $37.00 in Upington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $190 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

74,834

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Upington 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $1,133 in Upington – roughly 257% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $1,700 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, 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 $1,133 in Upington. That's a gap of about 257%.

Kindergarten costs $2,905 per month in London and $103 in Upington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Upington, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in London at $4,049. In Upington 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 $1,133 in Upington to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Upington. 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.