Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,162 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $33,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerset West and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Somerset West and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,162 per month in Somerset West vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Somerset West $1,162
London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,890 per month in Somerset West vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Somerset West $1,890
London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,618 per month in Somerset West vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Somerset West $2,618
London $7,595

Somerset West is about 71% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Somerset West sits 14% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 R 195

$25.93 £19.45

-54.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 R 757

$107 £79.9

-56.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 R 89.3

$10.71 £8.03

-49.39%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.82

$5.47 £4.11

-60.33%

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

$1.03 R 16.99

$2.97 £2.23

-65.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.02

$2.20 £1.65

-58.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R 41.47

$9.13 £6.85

-72.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 R 54.6

$7.94 £5.96

-58.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R 15.56

$1.86 £1.40

-49.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.43

$2.07 £1.55

-51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.91

$2.42 £1.81

-14.88%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.42

$5.09 £3.82

-55.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 R 142

$12.87 £9.66

-32.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R 86.6

$10.43 £7.82

-49.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.52 R 157

$16.87 £12.66

-43.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.28

$3.11 £2.33

-40.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.24

$1.40 £1.05

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.83

$3.08 £2.31

-45.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.62

$3.27 £2.45

-46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$1.58 £1.19

-2.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$1.74 £1.31

-11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.21

$1.40 £1.05

-7.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.92

$1.80 £1.35

-39.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 R 54.0

$23.28 £17.46

-85.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 R 98.5

$13.03 £9.77

-54.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$3.17 £2.38

-57.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.95

$4.42 £3.32

-60.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R 18.52

$4.07 £3.05

-72.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 R 979

$247 £185

-75.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.56

$5.58 £4.18

-89.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.35

$3.36 £2.52

-55.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 R 83.7

$56.8 £42.58

-91.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.49

$2.13 £1.60

-32.86%

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

$28.8K R 474.1K

$38.2K £28.6K

-24.64%

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

$30.0K R 494.4K

$40.9K £30.7K

-26.62%

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

$85.2 R 1,404

$372 £279

-77.11%

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

$28.77 R 474

$17.82 £13.37

61.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.92 R 674

$40.37 £30.29

1.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.25 R 745

$60.0 £44.99

-24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.76 R 177

$21.29 £15.97

-49.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 118

$17.74 £13.31

-59.47%

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

$261 R 4,308

$2,864 £2,149

-90.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,633 R 59.9K

$35.3K £26.5K

-89.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.84 R 508

$114 £85.5

-72.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.76 R 523

$54.3 £40.71

-41.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 R 1,161

$124 £93.2

-43.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 R 930

$163 £122

-65.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$637 R 10.5K

$2,869 £2,152

-77.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 R 6,997

$2,233 £1,675

-80.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 R 22.4K

$5,266 £3,951

-74.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$3,778 £2,835

-75.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,227 R 20.2K

$18.3K £13.8K

-93.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$907 R 14.9K

$8,024 £6,020

-88.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 R 23.5K

$5,037 £3,779

-71.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

4.74

113.50%

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

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset West

$425 36.5%

London

$2.2K 56% 426% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$202 17.4%

London

$349 8.8% 73.4% $148

Eating Out

Somerset West

$164 14.1%

London

$388 9.7% 136% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$155 13.3%

London

$430 10.8% 178% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$85 7.3%

London

$205 5.1% 140% $120

Getting Around

Somerset West

$72 6.2%

London

$285 7.2% 297% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$60 5.1%

London

$95 2.4% 60.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $637 in Somerset West versus $2,869 in London. 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 253% 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 $46.00 in Somerset West versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $349 – making Somerset West the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

1 h behind Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Somerset West London 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
London

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

Somerset West vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,162 in Somerset West, $3,986 in London – roughly 243% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,743 per month in Somerset West and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 73% 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 $46.00 in Somerset West and $107 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Somerset West, where all-in costs run around $1,162, than in London at $3,986. In Somerset West 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 $1,162 in Somerset West to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Somerset West. 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.